Knight and Day
by HeyBats
Summary: Alternate Universe: What if Lois decided to head back to Gotham with Bruce Wayne at the end of 'World's Finest?
1. Prologue

**Knight & Day**

Thanks go to Princess Paula and Djinn for the Beta.

**Prologue:**

Bruce Wayne was mildly surprised when Lois decided to see him off at Lex Luthor's private airfield. A Wayne Enterprises 767 was already spooling its engines, waiting to take him back to Gotham City. They'd said their goodbyes earlier at his hotel suite but she'd surprised him by following him to the airfield.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind?" he inquired, but there was a tone at the edge of his voice that betrayed him. Based on the defiant set of her jaw alone, Bruce knew she was going to refuse him.

"I adore you, Bruce," she replied sadly. "But there are some things about you that I don't know about… and I'm not sure that I want to."

Betraying nothing outwardly while yet another part of Bruce Wayne's humanity withered away, stoically, he murmured, "I understand."

"Take care of yourself,"Lois whispered. Stepping forward, she surprised him again, lifting her head to peck him on the cheek. He shrugged with resignation, then turned and strode towards the plane. Normally a paragon of control, it took every ounce of his being to bite back the urge to go back to her and beg for her to come with him.

Ignoring the tug of his heartstrings, he soldiered on towards the plane. 'It's no use,' he thought. Resigned to his solitary fate once again, he trudged to the jet way. His feet felt like they weighed a couple hundred pounds.

Bruce allowed himself a small double take when he saw Clark Kent patiently waiting for him.

"Come to make sure I leave?" Bruce rasped, a hint of menace audible in his tone.

"Actually, I thought we worked pretty well together," Clark replied evenly, then his expression tightened. "Not that I want to make it a regular thing."

Bruce turned to look at Lois, disappearing behind the hangar wall. "She's all yours now. But be good to her. Remember," he warned. "I know where you live."

Clark didn't respond but instead allowed a small smile as the doorway closed behind the Dark Knight. It wasn't a friendly smile, instead reflecting Clark's relief that he still had an opportunity to pursue Lois in his old-fashioned, determined, but never aggressive manner.

He waited a few minutes for the WayneTech plane to taxi down the jet way, then felt a final sense of closure when the jet thundered down the runway. Once airborne, the pilot dipped the left wing then headed northwest. As the plane disappeared over the Metropolitan Skyline, Clark made strides for his car. Part of him was hoping to find Lois still in the parking lot so he could provide a shoulder to cry on, if needed, but she'd already left.

'Tomorrow will be the right time. Maybe I'll ask her to lunch…see if I can help pick up the pieces of her broken heart.' He assured himself, but his gut instincts told him things had changed. In all of the years he'd known Lois, she'd never fallen for a man like she'd done for Bruce. Still considering the gravity of the situation, he drove to his condominium in Chelsea. He intended to go on patrol as Superman as soon as he'd parked in his designated spot (the parking tickets he'd amassed recently by leaving his car to save the day as Superman were getting ridiculous). Flying always helped him clear his head. He hoped the clarity would help him formulate a strategy to win her heart as both Clark Kent and Superman. Until he managed to do both, he couldn't risk exposing his identity to Lois.

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Clark's phone rang at six a.m. Normally a light sleeper, the cobwebs were still clearing from his head when he picked up the receiver. Anticipating it was a wrong number, he intentionally kept his head on the pillow, hoping to get another few minutes of sleep.

He tried to speak but he only managed a rasp. Coughing into his hand to clear his throat, he tried a second time. "Clark Kent."

"Smallville! I'm glad I caught you." Lois' voice breezed into the phone.

"Lois? What's wrong?" Clark asked, bolting upright in bed.

"Not sure anything's wrong," she responded. "Just calling to let you know that I'm at the airport."

"Chasing a lead?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nothing so mundane," she replied. "I couldn't sleep at all last night."

"It's about the billionaire, isn't it?" he whispered, gripping the receiver. The plastic groaned in protest as the pressure increased.

"'Fraid so," she replied. "I thought about it all night and realized that we might have a chance to be happy…or something. So I packed and came out to the airport."

"You're moving to Gotham?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you'd changed your mind."

"I did," she replied smartly. "Again."

Clark winced at her revelation, then covered his hand over the phone so that he could take a deep breath to steady himself. He was playing a delicate game and had to ensure he was asking questions as Clark. When he'd returned from the airport the day before to see Bruce off, Lois had called him an hour later. She'd matter-of-factly informed him she'd reconsidered her move to Gotham, disclosing none of her rationale, then hung up on him when he started to press for more information. Superman knew Lois was stunned by the revelation that Bruce was Batman, but Clark Kent wasn't privy to that information. As he talked to Lois, he reminded himself to be careful not to disclose too much.

Unsure of his strategy, he finally managed to ask, "Are you sure that's wise?"

"Probably not wise," she admitted sarcastically. "But I'm doing it anyway."

There was a stunned silence on the line. She waited for Clark to say something but hearing nothing, Lois decided to continue. "I'm leaving on a flight in ten minutes. I just wanted to give you a heads up and also beg a favor. Well, two, actually."

"What is it?" he asked, wearily sinking back onto his bed.

"First tell Perry I'll call him from Gotham once I get settled. Second, be a dear and water my plants for me, will you? I'll be back in a week or two to get the rest of my stuff."

"Sure, Lois," he replied stoically, then added a mangled "Good luck." before he hung up the phone in astonishment. He stared at his ceiling for almost an hour, then staggered into the kitchen. Normally a light social drinker, he allowed himself a liberal five-finger pull on a bottle of vodka, then splashed a hint of orange juice over the glass for color. Unshaven and with bloodshot eyes, he staggered into work an hour late to deliver the news to Perry. The editor looked at him sympathetically then told him to take the rest of the day off.

He spent the rest of the day staring blankly at his computer screen, pointedly contemplating what hurt more; the conversation with Lois, or a direct blast from Darkseid's Omega Beams.

So far, it was a draw.

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Alfred busied himself unpacking the last articles from the two week-long excursion to Metropolis. The chore required sorting the everyday clothes Bruce wore from the pile of gadgets Batman required. It turned out to be a much longer chore than he'd anticipated as Bruce was fueled by an urgency the butler had never seen. As they packed for their return to Gotham City, Bruce had uncharacteristically managed to mix the two. Alfred piled the remaining gadgets into a trunk then wheeled it down the hallway, heading towards the elevator that accessed the Cave.

Finished cramming the trunk into the narrow confines of the elevator, the doorbell unexpectedly chimed. Alfred briefly debated how to handle the situation then hit the down button on the elevator. He reasoned if Batman needed any of his gadgets, since he was already in the Cave, he could retrieve them from the trunk. Alfred quickly made his way down the staircase to the front entry, then allowed himself a moment of shock when he spied the visitor.

Composing himself, he opened the door. Peering out into the mist-shrouded sunlight, he greeted her warmly. "Miss Lane, so good to see you."

"Good morning, Alfred. Likewise," she replied with the same genuine warmth. Her initial exposure to his dry sarcasm and quick wit in Bruce's penthouse in Metropolis immediately convinced her she would feel welcome in Gotham, at least in the opinion of the one person whose opinion Bruce obviously valued above all others.

"Is Bruce available?" she murmured, peeking past him down the hallway.

Alfred paused, weighing the context of her inquiry. While they were in Metropolis, his charge had remained typically tight-lipped about his romantic intentions with Ms. Lane. Alfred had only learned it was serious when Bruce had informed him a day prior to their departure that she might accompany them on their return to Gotham. Initially delighted that Master Bruce had finally met a woman who could hold his interest, Alfred was sorely disappointed when he witnessed Lois' heart-tugging farewell at the jet way. Boarding the plane in Metropolis, Bruce didn't say a word after he'd settled into the seat, but Alfred could tell from the set of his jaw that her refusal to move to Gotham represented a huge setback in the emotional development of Gotham's most eligible bachelor.

As Alfred looked over the vivacious brunette waiting patiently at the entryway, he realized that Bruce had never told him whether Lois was privy to the identity of his alter-ego.

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Alfred ushered her in, noting loftily that, "Master Bruce is currently detained, however I'm sure that I can locate him somewhere on the estate if you'd care to wait."

Lois fixed her gaze on him sharply. "By the estate, I'm assuming you're referring to wherever he likes to spend time wearing the cape and cowl?"

Relieved of the burden, Alfred visibly exhaled. Maintaining the secrecy of his employer's identity was daunting at times, especially when Alfred was required to make excuses to the women who would occasionally drift into (and quickly out of) Bruce's life. He nodded in approval at the directness of her approach, then ushered her to the East Wing. Alfred paused at the grandfather clock, then moved the hands to 10:47. Lois looked on in astonishment as the clock shifted sideways, revealing the hydraulically powered steel door behind it.

"Right this way, Miss Lane," Alfred murmured, then led her down the stairwell.

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Authors Note: Forgive the flashback, but when confronted with the idea of how to properly write a LL/BM/WW/SM story, I had to go back to my animated roots. 'Worlds Finest' debuted in 1997, featuring a team-up of Batman and Superman for the first time, battling a similar team-up of The Joker and Lex Luthor, all the while intertwined with a romance angle as Bruce Wayne swept Lois Lane off her feet with a few midnight waltzes around the Rainbow Room. There were a few other instances in the animated world, including 'Knight Time' and 'The Demon Reborn', where Batman and Superman reluctantly teamed up again before finally teaming up full time with the rest of the Justice League. For this story, I'm going to pick and choose my DCAU continuity, admitting the events of 'World's Finest' and 'Legacy' to have occurred while ignoring others. In terms of continuity, this story will start at the last scene of 'World's Finest' and continue deep into the second season of Justice League.


	2. Chapter 1 Adjustments

**Chapter I – Adjustments**

Lois Lane woke up with a groan. As she'd never been a morning person, her father had always called her his "little grumpy bug" since she was three years old. Things really hadn't changed since then, with the welcome exception of the automatic coffee maker Bruce had installed in her Gotham condominium two days after she'd moved in. Throwing on a robe, she made her way into the kitchen to pour a large cup of Jamaican Blue Note coffee. The welcome jolt of caffeine started her blood flowing at its usual frenzied pace. She settled onto the couch, grabbing a remote to turn on Fox News to see if anything newsworthy had occurred during the five hours she'd slept.

Her condominium was situated on the penthouse floor of a thirty-nine story high rise in Gotham's Central District. It was a convenient two-block walk south on Broadway to the Daily Planet's Gotham City bureau and a three-block walk east on 45th Street to Wayne Tech Headquarters.

Convenient was a word she currently despised as she associated it with the large blood-stain still visible on her bedroom carpet.

When Lois had shown up in the Cave six months prior--after spending ten minutes in the damp confines, she swore on the spot it would be the one and only time she would ever set foot there--Bruce, dressed in the Batman uniform, had welcomed her warmly. She could feel his reluctance when she wrapped her arms around him, melting into him, then realized that Batman would always maintain an unbreakable facade. Batman promptly asked Alfred to usher her back upstairs 'to get settled', then returned to his work. Two hours later and still wearing the cape and cowl, Bruce - she refused to acknowledge Batman even when Bruce was wearing the full costume - joined her upstairs for lunch. He apologized, noting "a few things happened while I was in Metropolis."

Lois accepted the apology, then walked over and pulled back the cowl so she could see his face. "First rule, I'll never go down there again. Second rule, no masks or capes allowed at the dinner table, okay?"

Alfred laughed out loud then politely excused himself, noting, "I have to make a long run to the grocery store…everything seems to have spoiled while I was away." Once the Bentley pulled away down the driveway, the couple stared at each other, weighing the gravity of the situation. Satisfied with their unspoken conclusion, they immediately dashed upstairs and spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking in his bedroom.

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Sated in the afterglow of sex as the last remaining embers of sunlight burned through the window, Lois fingers involuntarily started tracing the maze of scars crisscrossing his body. Her mind was a whirlwind of activity. Somehow the consummation of their love in his bedroom had changed her; made her his for the asking. Lois shivered with trepidation. Giving freely of herself had never been her strong suit and inwardly she wondered what her flight to Gotham City represented in terms of a personal exaction.

"Problem?" he inquired, reading her expression intently.

"No problem," Lois replied with a grin. "The sex was even better than I remembered in Metropolis…"

"But…," he prodded her.

"But I'm still not sure how to reconcile this part of you," she muttered, gesturing to the cape and cowl strewn about the floor. "You're a billionaire who goes into a charity ball wearing a tux but if there's a problem, you come out dressed…"

"Like a flying rodent?" he whispered through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't going to say that." she replied sharply.

"Joker called me that in Metropolis." Bruce noted with a wry grin.

Lois nodded in appreciation. It was an apt description in her mind. Deciding she wouldn't win any points to be painted into the same corner as her new boyfriend's arch-nemesis, she changed tacks. "Well, suffice to say, you like to dress differently after work than the rest of us."

"In my own defense, I have fully disclosed all of my issues," he retorted defensively.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Lois took a deep, measured breath before she decided to continue. "In recognition of your issues, but also of the fact that I do care about you, I stayed awake all last night trying to figure out a way to make this…us, work."

Bruce's eyes narrowed but he didn't interrupt.

"And I've decided that I want to move to Gotham full-time and try to be with you. YOU, Bruce, not the Batman. I don't want to see him, hear about him or have anything to do with him. As far as I'm concerned, Batman is a hobby for you…like golf is for other men, maybe, I don't know. Just do it on your own free time when we're not doing something together."

"That's easier said than done," Bruce replied hollowly. Searching for the right words, he lifted his hand up to her cheek, stroking it gently. "I…care for you, Lois. But you can't ask me to give up what I do."

"I'm not asking you to give it up," Lois replied deliberately. "I'm just telling you that I intend to practice denial in a MAJOR way where Batman is concerned. As long as you keep that part of your life out of OUR life, then I think we've got a pretty good shot."

Bruce held her gaze for almost a full minute, carefully measuring the alternatives available. Reaching out to take her again, his expression softened as he murmured, "Works for me, Lois. No promises, but it works for me."

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By the next morning, Bruce started to work the magic that only extreme wealth seems to accomplish. Within three days all of her belongings in Metropolis were packed, shipped and unpacked in a three-bedroom penthouse that he "just happened" to own in downtown Gotham. Initially, Lois insisted she would buy a place of her own. However the trappings of the lifestyle of the rich and famous were addictive. Her daily side-trips from the Daily Planet's Gotham office during long lunches with a real estate agent quickly dwindled to once a week. Every residence she looked at paled in comparison to where Bruce had set her up. Her Agent saw the tell-tale signs before Lois, and quietly moved onto to other clients where she had a chance of earning a commission.

For three weeks, Lois hadn't even noticed that her Agent had failed to schedule any more walk-thrus. Feeling rejected, angrily she picked up the phone to give the woman a piece of her mind. Realizing the absurdity of the situation, Lois set the receiver down with a laugh. Sinking into an office chair she kept in the apartment, Lois concluded with resignation that in some circles, she might be viewed as a 'kept woman'.

When she'd flown to Gotham, Lois was under the assumption that a place of her own was pointless, especially considering she'd be staying in the Manor. To her chagrin, Bruce had steadfastly refused to entertain any of her arguments in favor of moving into the Manor, reasoning that his lifestyle "would take some getting used to on her part".

Angered by his unwillingness to compromise after she'd gone to great lengths to figure out a way to accept Batman into her life, Lois almost returned to Metropolis the day after she arrived in Gotham. She stormed about the Manor, not pleased with his further observation that she was far too independent by nature to blithely settle into his lifestyle without repercussions. Hoping to mollify his new girlfriend, Bruce tried to settle their disagreement by handing her the keys to the condominium along with the deed in her name. Rationalizing that she'd need a place of her own while he was on patrol – and after a walk-thru at sunset that set her heart racing - Lois finally accepted the keys.

Her acquiescence prompted their first foray into make-up sex. Although there were minimal furnishings in the condominium, they opted to 'break in' the kitchen counter on the spot. It proved to be extremely rewarding for both of them, however when he left a few hours later to go on patrol, Lois stared forlornly into the dim skyline of Gotham from the vantage of her bedroom balcony pondering what on earth had possessed her to pursue him to Gotham. There was no easy answer to that poignant question, however a large glass of wine helped dull the reason for asking.

In the following days after she'd moved into the condo, Lois quickly learned that her status as his mistress (and unofficial fiancé) didn't really improve her prioritization in his life. By her own count, she ranked a distant third behind the protection of Gotham City and the operation of Wayne Enterprises. Her private life quickly settled into a routine of weekly lunches with Bruce in the executive suite of WayneTech, occasional dinners at the Manor and a host of charity dinners and balls, appearing at his side as the trophy girlfriend.

While the city-raised sophisticate in Lois enjoyed the new dresses, jewelry and furs that Bruce could lavish upon her, a part of her that she'd repressed for a number of years began to yearn for a simple existence, free from the angst that overtook her every night while he was on patrol.

While Lois had made it clear, on no uncertain terms, that she was not interested in participating in Batman's lifestyle, hers was a superficial answer to a complicated problem. She was in love with Bruce and as she'd repeatedly argued on the nights where he stood her up to go on patrol, Batman was somebody else's problem to deal with. Despite her insistence that he give her more of his time, there was always another alarm or emergency which required his attention while Lois was babbling away in mid-sentence. For all her denial that Batman was someone else's problem, all the wine she could drink at night couldn't drown the loneliness and trepidation she felt knowing at that moment he was probably engaged in life and death combat with the most recently 'rehabilitated' criminal sprung from Arkham.

Her loneliness was fueled by the professional reception (and subsequent brush off) she'd received from her fellow reporters. Perry had given her wide leeway in pursuing stories in Gotham. Bruce's knowledge of Gotham's elite had provided her access to rumors and agendas previously unknown to her in Metropolis. On her own in pursuit of the latest headline, other reporters made a concerted attempt to snub and even ridicule her at press conferences, making pointed (but always whispered) references to "Wayne's harlot of the month." While Lois was pretty thick-skinned, the fact that she'd been professionally snubbed by Gotham's Fourth Estate hit pretty hard.

At dinner one night with Bruce, she'd casually mentioned the ongoing battle with her fellow reporters. A dark expression suddenly settled into his eyes. The normally affable voice of Bruce changed instantly into that of the Bat. The transformation was frightening.

"Names?" he demanded calmly, but his temples were pulsing with anger.

Lois' felt her stomach drop. Realizing that his alter-ego might decide to pay a piss-inducing visit to some of the men who'd cowed her during the press conferences, Lois quickly changed the topic. Bruce ultimately calmed down, but the experience left her shaken.

Searching for a more human connection, Lois made a concerted effort to stay in touch with her co-workers and bosses in Metropolis. At Perry's insistence, at least once a month she traveled back to Metropolis to attend senior staff and editorial policy meetings. Initially hoping for a friendly welcome-wagon in celebration of her triumphant return, she was disappointed with the general indifference she received. To her surprise, Clark Kent was a welcome sight however after she'd rushed over to wrap him in a hug, he treated her coolly, with a professional detachment she found distressing.

Two weeks after the Bat had briefly crept into their lives at the diner table, a second incident occurred which left Lois with the indelible impression that no matter how hard she tried to shield her life from the existence of Batman, his shadow would forever loom over their lives.

That evening – per her now usual custom -- Lois went to sleep at midnight after washing down a percocet with a glass of chardonnay (it was the best combination to dull the nightmares she kept having about a broken and bloody Bruce). Thirty minutes later Batman landed with a hard thump onto her balcony. Staggering to his feet, he managed to unlock the door with a key he kept in his belt. Numbed by the percocet/chardonnay cocktail, Lois finally staggered out of the bed in fright when a gust of wind banged the door against the wall. Fulfilling her nightmares, Batman tottered into the room then collapsed on the floor, blood pouring from a wound above his left kidney.

Initially in shock to see her man suffering from a life-threatening injury, Lois finally regained her wits. Applying a make-shift field dressing comprised of a hand-towel, she managed to call Alfred with her free hand while binding her bed-sheet around his midsection to maintain pressure. Satisfied that Alfred was on his way and the bandage was as good as she could make it, Lois frowned when she spied the tell-tale signs of shock – rapid loss of body temperature and white pallor of his skin - overtaking Bruce's body. She quickly stripped away the remnants of his uniform then wrapped herself and her down comforter tightly around him in an effort to avoid further loss of body temperature, praying that Alfred would make it in time.

Alfred arrived twenty minutes later. Heaving with exertion, he pulled a large black trunk on rollers into the apartment. Dr. Leslie Tompkins arrived a few minutes later. White-lipped with fear, Lois helped the two unpack the seemingly endless supply of medical equipment, then watched in dreaded fascination as they performed surgery on her bedroom floor. Lois helped for the next two hours, transfusing three bags of type O blood into Bruce to replace what he'd lost while learning more about thoracic and renal surgery then she ever wanted to know. At three in the morning, Leslie and Alfred had finally stabilized Bruce to the point where his blood pressure was climbing back to normal. Dr. Thompkins sutured the wound, then ushered Lois to the kitchen table.

Aghast from the experience, Lois made a pot of coffee as they waited for the patient to recover. Exhausted, the three of them quietly sat at her kitchen table, listening to the sounds of the mobile EKG. While Bruce pulse was visibly irregular on the monitor, neither Alfred nor Leslie seemed particularly concerned. They absently discussed matters ranging from the latest scandal to hit the District Attorney's office to Leslie's procurement of a Federal Grant to provide medical aid to Gotham's homeless population.

Exasperated, Lois finally stood up, throwing her chair onto the floor in the process. "Shouldn't we be concerned about Bruce?"

Alfred looked at her with a seasoned expression that suggested it wasn't the first time they'd helped him in similar circumstances, then decided to allay her fears. "Ms. Lane, this is the eleventh…no twelfth major surgery we've performed on Master Bruce. Not to make light of it, but it's rather become routine for us."

Lois was stunned at his admission. While she'd seen the scars, she'd never really bothered to make a scorecard for the total. Finally, she stammered, "I don't want surgery on somebody that I'm supposed to marry to ever become routine."

"Then Lois, perhaps you should re-think who you're going to marry," Leslie replied sadly, then made her way back to the bedroom to check the EKG monitor.

Lois looked to Alfred for reassurance, but there was none given. Averting his gaze, he settled back to the cup of coffee in front of him. She wearily sat beside him, staring at her own cup. In the background, she could hear the ping of the EKG charting his heartbeat. She spent the rest of the morning wondering how many times she would have to endure similar evenings in the future, waiting for the time when a wound proved mortal. The thought made her nauseous.

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As she combed out her hair in front of the mirror, Lois blanched in disgust at her appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she'd aged five years since she'd departed Metropolis instead of the six months she'd been in Gotham. With the aid of a wheelchair and Lois' well-timed distraction of the night watchman stationed at the front desk, Alfred had secreted Bruce out of her condominium in the dead of the night. Lois had gone to sleep with the aid of two percocets and another bottle of chardonnay.

"So this is what it means to be involved with a superhero?" she asked her reflection, then took a quick, disgusted glance at the bloodstain on her carpet. "Doesn't seem worth it, does it?"


	3. Chapter 2 Breaking Point

**Chapter II – Breaking Point**

The 'Western World' had long considered the Oracle at Delphi a legend, but like all myths and legends, the origin of the story was based in fact. Before the Gods of Olympus created Themyscira and bestowed immortality on the Amazons, that race was responsible for perpetuating the Oracle for millennia. Much like the papacy, when the seer known to the rest of the world as 'the Oracle' died, a new seer from the Amazons was elected in her place.

The unbroken chain of Amazonian seers was interrupted only once during the Ancient Days. Enslaved by the Army of Herakles for fifteen years, the Amazons freed themselves in a bloody uprising. Foregoing their right to execute their captors, the Olympian Gods rewarded the Amazons resiliency by granting immortality to the entire tribe. As a second gift, the Olympian Gods created the tranquil island paradise known as Themyscira, cloaking it behind a magical barrier to forever shield the island from the intrusions of Man's World. The exaction for these gifts was steep as the Gates to Tartarus – the Olympian version of hell -- lay deep under Themyscira., To the weary Amazons, it was a price well worth paying. In keeping with the ancient tradition, the Oracle was also moved to Themyscira, forever denying Man's World access to the prophecies of the Gods.

For more than two thousand years, the Amazon Queen known as Hippolyta ruled over the Amazon tribe. Lonely in her vigil over the Gates of Tartarus, she begged Athena for a daughter. Athena instructed her to sculpt a daughter from clay. When Hippolyta finished the statue of the little girl, Athena bestowed it with the gift of life as well as some of the powers of the Gods, including flight and strength.

Raised on Themyscira, Diana was shielded from the depredations of Man's World. As she grew up, her life was one of unbroken peace and tranquility. Fueled by the stories her Amazon sisters related at feasts honoring their Gods, Diana became intrigued by the mystery of what lay beyond the magical barrier. As she grew into full womanhood, Diana secretly consulted the Oracle, begging the woman to show her the sights and wonders of Man's World.

What she learned both shocked and intrigued her. For centuries, she watched with anguish as Man's World engaged in one bloody war after another. While Diana was intrigued, the images she witnessed for the most part validated her mother's jaded view of Mankind. Still, the horrors she witnessed didn't extinguish her curiosity, especially when a new breed of heroes emerged to bring justice to the chaotic corners of their world.

Diana was especially intrigued when a new image appeared on the Oracle's scrying glass. Clad in blue with a red cape majestically streaking behind him, the man was capable of flight, strength and speed that seemed to surpass her abilities. Stunned by his appearance, she thrilled at his accomplishments, taking daily risks to consult with the Oracle on his adventures. She was surprised at her open defiance of her mother's instructions to leave Man's World alone, but she could not ignore the strong pull she felt towards it.

"Who is he?" she asked the Oracle breathlessly. "A gift from the Gods, perhaps?"

"The Gods themselves are unsettled by his presence," the Oracle replied uncertainly. "His appearance does not bode well for the future of Man's World."

"Why?" Diana replied, confused. "What harm could a man like that bring to Patriarch's World? Judging by his actions, his mission seems to be one of justice…of peace."

"He is no man to be sure," the Oracle replied ominously. "He comes from a world far from our own. If he traveled here, whatever his mission, others with evil in their hearts will also follow. Such is the balance of Man's World."

"Must I not help him in his mission then?" Diana inquired, her heart skipping a beat in anticipation.

The Oracle nodded sagely at her inquiry. "Your time here on Themyscira is coming to its end," the Oracle whispered. "Man's World will soon need the wisdom of the Amazon champion to guide their way."

"When should I prepare myself?" Diana asked, shocked and excited by the woman's prophecy.

"Your time will come soon enough," the Oracle replied without elaborating. "Soon enough."

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Bruce Wayne wriggled impatiently in his bed on the second floor of Wayne Manor. The knife-wound he'd suffered at the hands of Penguin's latest thugs had proved more difficult to recover from than he'd initially bargained. As usual, he'd rushed back to patrol before his body had completely healed. His first attempt to use a jumpline had re-opened the sutures Dr. Thompkins had so carefully sewn only two days before. He'd probably lost another litre of blood before Alfred had rebandaged the wound.

Confined to strict bed rest by Leslie and Alfred until his body healed, Bruce was relegated to perusing his laptop. The inactivity made him uneasy. Bored with compiling notes regarding some strange occurrences at facilities involving the Deep Space Monitoring Network, he was pleasantly surprised when Lois dropped by to pay him a visit.

His memory of the details surrounding his arrival --and departure-- from her condominium were somewhat hazy. By his own recollection, his instinct for self-preservation had prevailed over his promise not to involve Batman in their lives. After the wound was inflicted, he'd somehow made it to her place, but the events that followed were a total blackout. As he'd regained consciousness in the cave's Medical Bay, he'd inquired about Lois. Alfred pointedly ignored him. He'd regained his strength a day later then called her twice, but she hadn't returned his calls.

Apparently whatever he'd done had roused her full fury.

Now that she was standing in his bedroom, he didn't know what to say. She stared at him sternly, pursing her lips in a way that told him he was going to get a scolding, or maybe worse.

'Ah, love.' He thought with resignation, a smirk settling onto his face.

"What are you smiling about?" she demanded indignantly.

"You," he replied. "You always make that face when you're angry. What did I do this time?"

"Bleeding out on my living room carpet isn't viewed as something I should get angry about in your twisted view of the world?" she snapped back.

"I didn't bleed out," he protested, then rolled to his side to show her the stitches. "In fact I'm practically good as…ohhh."

"New, huh?" Lois snorted, but her eyes softened with sympathy. "Still hurt?"

"It's…uncomfortable." He finally allowed, blinking back the tears of pain so that he wouldn't display any weakness.

She noticed his discomfort. "What are you working on?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Few odds and ends," he started. "Nothing important. There's been a series of random failures of the deep space monitoring network that I'm looking into."

"Batman's looking into, or YOU are?" she mocked.

"As one of the government's largest defense contractors, NORAD uses WayneTech's communications relay equipment as a back-up to its own. I only learned about the network failures because our equipment in Metropolis went off-line the last two times NORAD tried to use it. Problem is," he noted, pointing to his wound, "I'm kind of stuck in bed for the foreseeable future, so there's nothing I could do about it even if I wanted to."

"If it's so important, why don't you have Superman take a look at it?"

His eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. He looked away, measuring his response, then returned to meet her gaze. "First of all, the failures are probably an anomaly. Second, he and I don't exactly have a working relationship. Last I checked, he was kind of peeved at me when you came to Gotham. Finally, I didn't want you to worry, but there hasn't been a report about him in over three weeks. It's almost as if he's disappeared."

"It's not as if we ever dated or anything," Lois countered. "I think saving me was a hobby he took up to keep from getting bored. Stopping bank heists probably gets a little tedious for a superhero."

"I wouldn't know," Bruce replied sharply. "Bullets whizzing overhead ALWAYS manages to draw my complete attention."

"You know what I mean," Lois retorted. "As for his disappearance, he's been known to do that from time to time. But if you're worried, I'll call Clark to see what he knows."

"Don't bother," Bruce retorted quickly. "I have a feeling he won't be much help right now."

Bruce saw a puzzled expression briefly cross Lois's face at his statement about Clark, then watched as she took a deep breath, steadying herself. He braced himself as her expression portended that she'd rehearsed it numerous times.

"Bruce, we have to talk," she started, however the bedroom doors suddenly banged open, interrupting her speech.

Alfred walked in quickly. Pointedly ignoring Lois, he opened the cabinet that housed the television. He switched it on before either one of them could protest. "Sorry to interrupt. Master Bruce, I thought you may want to take a look at this."

Lois and Bruce exchanged puzzled glances then turned their attention to the screen. The monitor displayed an on-going battle between a brigade of army paratroopers trying to defend against an airborne attack of Parademons led by…Superman. He was dressed in a new uniform --all black with red-piping-- but there was no doubt he was leading the attack as he confirmed it by blowing up a Bradley Infantry carrier with his heat vision a moment later. A reporter's terrified voice informed the audience less than twenty minutes prior, that a boom-tube had opened on the outskirts of Metropolis. Led by the former favorite son of Metropolis, the legion of Parademons had systematically started working their way towards the city, cutting a swath through the Army's positions.

As their defense lines shrank, the Army started to hold their positions when squads from the Metropolis Special Tactics started reinforcing their ranks. Using the same strategy and weaponry they'd employed against the Parademons a year before during Darkseid's first invasion of Earth (successfully repelled by Superman with the help of the New Gods), the SWAT teams originally organized by Dan Turpin started plucking the airborne Parademons from the sky. Frustrated by the sudden lack of progress, Superman quickly began punching holes in the armored formations. Without tank and artillery support, the infantry was quickly overwhelmed and fell back to secondary positions.

Bruce and Lois watched the footage for another minute, but there was nothing else to be gleaned from the images. Alfred clicked off the coverage. Bruce set his jaw in determination, which Alfred immediately interpreted. .

"If you don't mind Master Bruce, I'll head down to the Cave and pre-flight the Batwing."

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce replied absently, swinging his feet out of bed. Lois intercepted him before he could make his way to the closet.

"Where do you think you're going?" she blurted.

"Where do you think?" he replied in the low growl of the Bat. "Somebody's got to stop him."

"And that has to be you because…"

"Because I'm the only one who knows how to stop him," he replied. "I kept a piece of the kryptonite Joker brought to Metropolis. Looks like I just might need it."

Lois eyes narrowed sharply. "What about Supergirl? Or the Army? They stand a better chance against him than you do."

"None of us…Supergirl included…can match him toe to toe. The trick is to know when to take advantage of the right opportunity."

"You don't even know why he's doing this!" Lois yelled.

His eyes narrowed and his expression became more distant, fully that of the Bat. "Does it matter?" he rasped, then stepped around her, heading for the closet.

"Bruce…don't go. I don't want to lose both of you," she whispered.

"You won't," he replied coldly. "I don't kill, remember?"

"You saw the footage!" she protested, remembering the carnage Superman was inflicting on the hapless troops before him. "He does…now!"

"I'll try to remember that," he replied dismissively, then pulled back a secret compartment in his closet that housed his extra uniforms. "Are you really worried about me, or him?"

"That was a long time ago," Lois replied defensively. "Feels like another lifetime."

"Does it?" he asked, a trace of jealousy evident in his pained expression. Turning the cowl over in his hands, he considered her for a moment. Subconsciously, Batman had always remained aloof from Lois. It was easy since she didn't want Batman involved in her life. Subconsciously, a primal part of him always wondered if her true self didn't belong to someone else. He wondered whether the fact that he had no metaphysical prowess of his own had anything to do with his response, then dismissed the thought. He had no time for introspection in normal circumstances and a Superman/Darkseid invasion of Earth certainly wasn't an everyday occurrence.

"I may not be here when you get back," Lois stated calmly, but there was a hint of trepidation in her eyes.

"I understand," Bruce replied before he slipped the uniform over his chest. "But for now we've got to deal with the present. If I can't stop him, maybe you should try to talk to him. After all, he has…had feelings for you once. Maybe he'll still listen to you."

Lois didn't reply. Hurriedly, he slipped on his cowl so that she could no longer read his expression.

Impatient with her silence, he made his way from the room. Lois' gaze burned a hole in him though. Surprising her, he turned and asked, "Can I give you a lift to Metropolis? It appears I'm heading that way."

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Diana's heart sank with dismay as the Oracle displayed the current images from Man's World. The man who in the days and months before had so thrilled her had turned against the helpless population. She steeled her resolve to confront him in battle however the Oracle cautioned her haste to leave Themyscira so quickly.

"Patience, Diana. The time has not yet come for you to leave us," the Oracle noted. "Man's World is not yet in the peril you believe."

Diana left the Oracle unconvinced; however the Oracle had never once failed her. She barely slept that night, wondering if Man's World was being overrun as she stood idly by.

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The Parademons had almost breached the outer defenses of Metropolis before the tide of the battle swung against them. Superman had led by example, smashing the pieces of field artillery and tanks into smoking ruins to open up holes in the perimeter defenses. The Parademons had no choice but to follow, however when a green plasma cannon suddenly plucked him from the sky like the hand of God, the Parademons lost the initiative. As many of them had felt Superman's wrath firsthand, it was no surprise they left him behind during their retreat to safety.

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General Hardcastle stood beside the plasma-fueled artillery piece that had launched the kryptonite attack against Superman. Smugly triumphant that the team of scientists had managed to channel the kryptonite radiation into the plasma matrix, he stepped back into the shadows. He approached a silhouetted figure lurking in the shadows, joining him in the darkness. The two of them looked on as his soldiers hauled the unconscious bodies of Superman and Supergirl (unwittingly she'd been injured in the blast while trying to protect the soldiers from her cousin's onslaught) into a hovercraft illuminated internally by a harsh, red light.

"Are you sure this is all it takes?" General Hardcastle whispered to the shadowy figure.

"To be honest, I'd prefer you kill them right now. Barring that rather attractive option, keep them bathed under that red sunlamp. They won't give you any more trouble." Lex Luthor advised. "My scientists tell me within an hour their powers should be dormant though judging by the look of her, it may not matter. Just don't allow him access to any yellow light or his powers will manifest again within seconds."

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Perched above them in a recessed alcove, Batman blinked in surprise. Luthor's actions had relieved him of the responsibility of using the kryptonite himself. But the coziness of the relationship between Luthor and the military surprised him nonetheless. From Gotham, Batman had deliberated as to how far Luthor's hand extended into the government's inner workings. He'd always assumed Luthor was content to rule Metropolis in the same manner Bruce Wayne lorded over Gotham City, but Batman was surprised Luthor's dealings had worked their way into D.C.'s inner sanctums. It was another piece of information to be processed for the World's Greatest Detective. Satisfied there was nothing further to be gained from the surveillance, he retreated to the Batwing. He'd landed it on Luthor's private helipad but even Batman knew that Luthor wouldn't take the insult lying down.

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Superman awoke in a daze. His last conscious memory involved piloting the Kryptonian spaceship which had carried him to Earth years before into deep space. He'd been test piloting the craft during the last few months and this flight represented a record journey for both distance and speed. He'd made it 40 light-years from Earth when his ship had suddenly come under attack. Superman remembered a blinding flash of light, then everything after that was a nightmare of dream sequences involving Darkseid, Granny Goodness and even the Furies. In his nightmares, he'd lead two conquests of strange worlds in Darkseid's name before leading the Apokiliptan legions to Earth for a final conquest.

He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, blanching with panic when he tried to move. His extremities were individually shackled with magnetized titanium bands which on his best day would have been hard to budge. Not that they were necessary, he realized with a sigh. The red sunlamp bathing the room had rendered him powerless. He raised his head off the prison table and by the look of the room, surmised he was being held captive in an Army or other Armed Forces prison somewhere in the U.S.

He grimaced in frustration, realizing that the nightmares were true. An icy ball of rage stirred in the pit of his stomach, but restrained at all four extremities and bathed under a red-sunlamp, there was little he could do. Hoping that he still held some of his strength in reserve, Superman took in a deep breath. Gritting his teeth with the strain, he pulled with all of his might against the restraints, but it was to no avail.

The red sunlamps had completely drained his powers. He was helpless.

"Help you with those?" a familiar, feminine voice floated from the doorway.

"Lois?" he yelped. "How did you get here?"

"Shhhhh!" she whispered, furiously unbuckling the restraints. "Daddy's a two-star general, remember? I swiped his security card and bluffed my way past the guards."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise but said nothing, his mind racing to determine the best method to deal with the current situation.

"I've got to get you two out of here," she continued. "Can you walk?"

"Two?" he whispered in surprise, then rubbed his arm in pain where the restraints had dug into the skin.

"Supergirl is also here," Lois replied with a frown. "She was injured in the firefight."

"How badly was she hurt?"

"I don't know yet. She's being held one level up. There's another detail of guards in front of her room. I thought I'd help you first then see what we can do to help her."

"Show me," he demanded, gratefully accepting her help off the table. Groaning with exhaustion, he almost slipped to the floor. Lois quickly managed to prop herself underneath his arm, then by sheer force of will started dragging him down the corridor. He almost stumbled over two comatose guards lying prone on the floor, then looked at Lois in evident admiration.

"Bruce been refining your martial arts training?" he asked dryly.

He saw her surprise at his connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman, but could also see that she was unsure as to whether he actually knew his secret or was just guessing. He grinned when she decided to play it straight.

"No martial arts training, though he has offered," she replied smartly. "I came with him from Gotham. Swiped a few gas pellets from the Batwing when we landed. Those things come in handy when you're trying to slip past a few well-armed guards."

"So that's where they got the kryptonite," Superman muttered darkly, ignoring her jibe. "Tell your boyfriend I owe him one."

"I'm not his messenger service," she replied tartly. "Tell him yourself. Besides, if he did give them the kryptonite, it's not as if he didn't have a reason. Why did you go on that rampage today?"

He stared in surprise at the sharp accusation of her tone, but gave no reply. The revelation that his infrequent crime-fighting partner from Gotham had contributed to Kara's current predicament, supplemented in turn by his absorption of almost all of the yellow light emitted by the overhead fluorescents, strengthened him considerably. By the time they'd reached the stairwell to head up to Kara's floor, he'd shrugged away from using Lois as a makeshift crutch. She didn't give up easily however, demanding a response to her query as they trudged up the stairwell.

"Well, I'm waiting. What happened?"

Superman sighed wearily at the top step, then tested his x-ray vision (his full powers were still returning) to determine if there were any guards behind the door. Standing on the landing, he allowed himself the luxury of a quick explanation.

"I was testing the spaceship that originally brought me to Earth. I'd made it all the way to Rigel-9 when I came under attack. Darkseid. His minions brainwashed me and turned me against Earth. He even had me warm up by conquering two other planets in his name before coming here," he muttered icily. "My guess is he knew I would either conquer Earth or suffer the humiliation of losing the population's trust. I'm not sure which alternative gave him more pleasure."

Lois nodded in sympathy, reaching out to provide a comforting hand on his shoulder. He gratefully acknowledged the gesture, but his brow knitted in consternation. "You're taking an awful risk with Bruce. Why did you break me out?"

"You'd never knowingly kill innocent people like that," Lois replied. "It's not in your nature."

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Dr. Hamilton was monitoring Supergirl's condition when Superman stormed into the room, Lois trailing right behind. The Kryptonian had nearly regained the full use of his powers under the yellow glare of the overhead lights. He'd easily taken out ten guards on his way down the corridor. While the two men had worked together on a number of scientific experiments over the years, Dr. Hamilton had never seen the expression of rage evident on Superman's face.

"What's wrong with her?" Superman barked.

"The blast severely damaged her internal organs," Dr. Hamilton replied, nervously looking past Superman for the guards who were supposed to protect him from this threat.

"Why aren't you operating on her?" Superman screamed, then picked him up by the collar, eyes glowing red. The scientist paled with fear at being immolated then realized he had a more pressing matter as his windpipe was slowly being crushed.

"General Hardcastle prohibited me from helping her," Hamilton managed to choke. His face was quickly turning purple as Superman's grip tightened around his neck, constricting the airflow.

"If you don't help her, you'll wish you'd never met me," Superman seethed, eyes flashing to red as he powered up his optic lasers to emphasize the point.

"Superman, stop it!" Lois yelled from the other side of the room. "This man isn't your enemy."

Hamilton's face continued to work through the darker colors in the spectrum before Superman finally relented, lowering the scientist back to the floor with a thud. Gasping for air, he looked at the Kryptonian with evident hatred.

"Please help her," Superman begged, then looked at Lois as his gaze reflected his rage once again. "I'm going after Darkseid."

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Superman's return from Apokilips should have been triumphant. Just minutes before, he'd worked behind the Lord of Apokilips then closed his hands over Darkseid's eyes. His action had reflected the Omega beams right back into Darkseid's skull. The resulting explosion left the Apokiliptan battered, but not broken. Foregoing a killing blow, Superman left the wounded tyrant under the care of his grateful minions then boom-tubed back to Earth.

Unfortunately, the last survivor from Krypton felt nothing but trepidation upon his return. He found Supergirl resting peaceably in a recovery ward at Star Labs; however Dr. Hamilton stared at him like he was Darkseid incarnate.

"She should fully recover," Dr. Hamilton muttered at him with evident disdain, then stalked out of the room.

Superman started to follow him out down the hallway, however Lois stopped him. "Give him time," she urged. "You put one hell of a scare into him."

"I've let a lot of people down," he replied, miserably surveying the devastation he'd caused.

"Well, I've been explaining to everyone who will listen that Darkseid brainwashed you," Lois soothed. "You can start rebuilding their trust one by one. It will take time, but people will forgive you, you'll see."

"When are you heading back to Gotham?" he inquired, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"Tonight, I guess," she replied with a look of regret. "I don't have anywhere to stay in Metropolis. I sold my place a few months ago and most of the hotels are filled up with wounded soldiers."

He briefly flirted with the idea of asking her to stay overnight, but decided against it. He'd already made enough enemies in one day. Making a pass at the Dark Knight's girlfriend wasn't something he was prepared to try.

Yet.

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	4. Chapter 3 Origins

**Chapter 3 – Origins**

Nomadic, Redneck, KillerTrees, Rurouni; Thanks for the feedback. Glad everybody is on board for this ride…

Pyschos… interesting sense of deja-vu here. DV "A presence I have not felt since…"

Cdog: 'Twilight' will be addressed, most certainly. Probably Chapter 5…

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NASA's first manned mission to Mars was roundly dismissed by agency critics as a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. One of the astronauts who survived a perilous plunge into a canyon rift on that planet returned as a triumphant hero. After his subsequent election to the Senate, Senator J. Allen Carter gained a pulpit from which he quickly spread his mission of global peace. A vision he'd gained when viewing the Earth's peaceful majesty from deep in space. Both articulate and telegenic, he quickly became one of the most powerful voices on the Senate floor.

His message resonated with the masses, and a groundswell of public support quickly resulted in a number of nuclear non-proliferation resolutions at the United Nations. Others soon jumped on the bandwagon, including a superhero badly in need of a public relations boost.

No one knew how much that mission to Mars had really changed Senator Carter until Earth's fate hung in the balance a few months later.

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Lois's return to Gotham City surprised the naturally cynical part of Bruce Wayne. In his heart, he truly believed that when she'd disembarked from the Batwing in Metropolis, he'd never see her again. The fact that she hadn't even looked back or even waved to him from that rooftop had spoken volumes.

To her credit, she'd surprised him two days later, showing up for their regular Thursday night dinner at the Manor. Reading her expression intently, he realized with a smile that she intended to continue behaving as if Batman hadn't required emergency surgery on her bedroom carpet, or that in the aftermath, she hadn't come to the Manor intending leave him.

'Status quo?' he wondered as they sat down to enjoy Alfred's soufflé. She caught him staring and flashed him a dazzling smile that set him spinning. Staring deeply into her violet, laughing eyes, a sudden realization swept over him. 'I'll never leave her.' 'But she'll leave…eventually. They all do.' Bruce didn't blame Lois as he'd come to realize over the years that the reality of Batman was just too harsh for most women to tolerate.

And then there's Superman – whether or not she admitted it, the Kryptonian maintained a hold on a part of her that Bruce had never touched. In an odd way, Superman represented the ultimate alpha-male, and a part of Lois enjoyed the celebrity status she'd gained as his possible love-interest. A relationship with Superman represented other advantages. She wouldn't have to worry about his well-being on nightly patrols – he was damned near invulnerable.

No, Bruce would never leave her, even though he knew that he should. He would take what little he could from this relationship, for however long it would last.

The thought – as pathological as he knew it to be – provided an impetus to improve things with Lois. After she returned, Bruce deliberately made a point to carve out more holes in his already hectic schedule. He made time to drop by her office for long lunches -- sometimes she was the main course -- or even share a quick cup of coffee. He would always have flowers in hand, with an extra dozen usually brought alone if Batman's activities had encroached into their designated dates. He'd even popped for box seats to the Gotham Opera House for Puccini's La Boheme. Of course, he'd promptly fallen asleep by the end of the first act, but Lois appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

The odd thing about their estrangement was the passion they shared when making love. Though her jet-set commuting schedule to Metropolis routinely overlapped Batman's patrols, the few instances they altered their schedules for time between them were desperate, passionate. It was as if both of them yearned to make up for the emotional damage they were inflicting with the momentary physical pleasure they could provide.

The physical relief was welcome, however the gulf between them increased daily. Brucenoticed it for the first time when he'd tried to spoon up to her in bed one night when Lois agreed to stay over in the Manor. She never awoke, but each time he tried to hold her close, unconsciously she'd worm away from his grasp until there was a more comfortable gap between them.

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Clark woke up with a splitting headache for the second day in a row. He attributed the headache to a dream…a nightmare when he really thought about it. Typically, he recalled few, if any, details from his dreams, so the startling intensity of the images surprised him. He'd dismissed the nightmare from the previous evening as lingering post-traumatic stress resulting from Granny Goodness' brainwashing, but the new images in his mind were even more intense than those disturbing memories.

With a shiver, he felt like there was a hand guiding the images in his mind, but the dream sequences were too jumbled to make any kind of connection.

Frustrated, he looked up at the clock. Five in the morning. He debated going back to sleep, then with a groan decided to get a head start on the day. Superman was scheduled to arrive in Wyoming by three o'clock eastern time to start melting the MX Missile warheads stored in that state's underground silos. In keeping with his new mission to carry out Senator Carter's goal to rid the Earth of nuclear weapons, those missiles represented the last high-yield nuclear explosive remaining in the U.S. arsenal. With luck, he'd finish in time for dinner with his parents in Smallville.

Thinking about his Mom's apple pie, his stomach voted in favor of meeting that schedule. His heart though, told him to return to Metropolis as quickly as possible. Lois was still here, lingering for an extra day after the regular editorial meetings under the guise of 'catching up with friends'. They'd seen a lot of each other during the past few months. It started out as a lark -- he'd dropped onto the balcony of her hotel suite the first night he'd returned to patrolling the skies of Metropolis. Given the wary glances people shot his way, her welcoming smile provided a calming sense of relief.

Their subsequent visits and conversations were therapeutic for both of them. For his part, Lois helped him exorcise the guilt he still carried about the deaths he'd caused during his rampage with the Parademons. Typically, Lois was very cryptic about her situation, but during the few instances where she let her guard down, he could tell that she was starting to have doubts about her future with Bruce.

Their conversations were seemingly innocent -- none of their meetings had led to any physical intimacy -- but the week before, a wicked sense of satisfaction washed over him when Lois told him that she'd never told Bruce about their conversations.

'Good,' he thought, jumping out of bed. As he walked to the shower, he resolved to return to Metropolis after taking care of the warheads. 'What he doesn't know won't hurt him.'

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"It has begun, Diana," the Oracle intoned when Diana walked into the temple. "Prepare yourself."

"I presumed Superman's threat against mankind was dealt with," Diana replied, puzzled. "Has the glass not shown us that he is attempting to redeem himself?"

"His efforts to create a lasting peace ironically have rid Man's World of the very weapons that might ensure their survival," the Oracle replied coldly. "The new threat will come from beyond the boundaries of the Terran system. You must join in league with the heroes of Man's World if Themyscira is to survive."

"But Themyscira is protected by the Gods." Diana protested.

"Themyscira shares the Earth's biosphere," the Oracle replied. "We breathe the same air, drink the same water. If the Earth does not survive the coming battle, Themyscira will cease to exist."

Diana nodded, hoping she understood the problem well enough to convince her mother that Man's World required her help. It wasn't a conversation she looked forward to having.

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The day Lois realized it didn't hurt when Bruce skipped a date to respond to the latest threat in Gotham was an epiphany. She almost felt a sense of relief when he called to tell her that something had come up. She would be able to stay in Metropolis longer than her editorial and policy review board meetings required. Even worse, she was relieved that she wouldn't have to see him.

As she sat on her hotel balcony waiting for Superman to drop by for one of their talks, Lois sighed with regret. She still loved Bruce dearly, but the shadow of the Bat was even longer than she'd dared hope when she'd first resolved to follow him to Gotham. She kicked herself, wondering why she had such a visceral reaction to his alter ego. His courage and commitment were unassailable, that much she realized.

As a breeze stirred around her signifying the airborne arrival of another hero, a thought occurred to her. 'Maybe its just the fact that I've grown so used to the…majesty of Superman that I never bothered to appreciate the brutal reality that Bruce has to endure just to survive.'

Lois didn't like the thought that she'd sold Bruce short and it showed on her face. She did her best to maintain the façade with Superman when he touched down, but her heart wasn't in it tonight. She sent him away confused, and spent the rest of the night tossing sleeplessly in her bed, trying to reconcile her attraction to those two men.

'Bastards,' she finally resolved before falling asleep at four in the morning.

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Lois arrived at the Manor with her usual vibrant energy. She lightly pecked him on the cheek in greeting. Bruce returned the gesture gratefully. He even made a pointed effort to hold onto her a little longer than he normally felt comfortable doing, but there was an undercurrent of tension between them. She returned the gesture warmly, then unconsciously slipped away. As Alfred poured her a martini, Lois immediately launched into a diatribe about the growing perils of commercial air travel -- her carrier had managed to lose her bags.

Bruce didn't reply that the Wayne Enterprises G-4 lear jet was available for her use, she knew it well enough. After he'd bought the condominium for her, Lois had refused to use any more trappings of the Wayne Empire. Initially, he chalked it up as show of independence, but lately he wondered if she wanted to leave all aspects of her association with Bruce Wayne behind in Gotham whenever she traveled to Metropolis.

As usual, Alfred's cooking was top notch, but the food was tasteless in Bruce's mouth. They made forced, idle conversation as the evening wore on, but as much effort that he'd put into the relationship, it all seemed fruitless. He couldn't help but feel Superman was forcing a divisive wedge between them, and permitted himself a moment of resentment towards Lois for allowing it to come to this.

'She needs to chose,' Bruce decided. 'Him or me.'

Finishing the salmon entrée, he'd cleared his throat but Alfred caught his attention before he could speak. Bruce raised his eyebrows quizzically. He knew it had to be important. Alfred loathed interrupting a dinner of his own creation.

"Something wrong, Alfred?"

"Remind me not to watch television in the kitchen henceforth, Master Bruce. It seems to portend bad things," the butler announced with a look of resignation. "Something has occurred in Metropolis which may be of interest to Batman."

Bruce and Lois simultaneously pushed their chairs away from the table, hurriedly making their way to the converted study that now served as the media center. Alfred triggered the remote and a sixty-inch plasma television emerged as two cabinet doors receded neatly into the woodwork. He changed the channels until Snapper Carr's familiar visage filled the screen. The Metropolis skyline was clearly visible in the background, however a smoking meteor that had plowed through Central Park filled up most of the screen. The reporter's voice was anxious as he described the scene. Apparently the meteor had flattened two police cars and a taxi, but amazingly enough it had caused no other deaths.

"Weird coincidence that a meteor would land in Central Park, don't you think?" Lois muttered dryly.

"I don't believe in coincidences," Bruce retorted. "Besides, meteors don't out-gas after impact."

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I mean that!" he replied darkly, pointing to an unfamiliar mechanical construct emerging from the still molten rock.

Snapper Carr's voice steadily rose in pitch as the three-legged construct rose to its full height over twenty meters above the crowd. A large, red "eye" on the top suddenly blinked, discharging a massive amount of laser energy through the lens. A group of ambulances and police cars treating the wounded on the scene vaporized immediately while everything on the edge of the blast burst into flames.

Alfred turned and raised an eyebrow at his charge. "Pre-flight the Batwing, sir?"

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce replied. Lois opened her mouth to demand a ride to her hometown but he raised his hand before she could say a word. "Don't even think about it," he muttered. "Once was enough."

"Why don't you just let Superman handle it?" she asked, not holding anything back. "It's not as if he hasn't handled things like this before."

As she finished uttering the words, two meteors resembling the first landed in Central Park. Within seconds, three alien machines systematically started to mow through the opposing police force. As Snapper Carr described the scene, he relayed a report that similar machines were emerging from cities across the globe. It was clearly an invasion.

Bruce turned to her with a grim expression on his face. "I'm not sure any of us can handle this."

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Superman quickly arrived on the scene, but the Invader's sentinel's stood ready. He managed to undercut the leg of the nearest, but as he moved in closer to press his advantage, the others unleashed their laser weapons against him.

He was formulating his strategy when a series of familiar, yet extremely painful images permeated his mind. Temporarily incapacitated, he hovered helpless above the park while his brain processed the information. Seizing the opportunity, two of the constructs unleashed a combined blast that sent him reeling across the city.

Dazed but not out of the fight, he contemplated his next action. With a sigh of regret, he gained altitude then headed southwest, directly away from the sentinels.

As he gained speed, Superman noted with a grimace that Batman was flying to Metropolis, ostensibly to help in the fight, however Superman flew past the Batwing without stopping.

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"Where's he going?" Batman wondered aloud, then targeted two missiles into the nearest alien construct. He cursed under his breath when the missiles failed to cause any real damage. Debating his next tactic, a squadron of F-22's suddenly emerged from the clouds, heading towards the sentinels at Mach One. Convinced there was nothing he could do to help them, he reefed the Batwing into a tight turn then lit the afterburner in pursuit of Superman.

Behind them, a new machine emerged from a fourth meteor buried near the Park's entrance. Larger than the sentinel's, the new construct secured a foothold with a large clamp, then a house-sized drill punctured the streetscape. Within seconds, a smokestack appeared at the top of the construct, discharging an acrid black smoke into the atmosphere. Day started turning to night in the park as the smoke billowed from the new construct that a Times reporter dubbed a 'Smokehouse'. The name quickly stuck.

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The fact that the Batwing couldn't match Superman's top speed mattered little. The trail of carnage the Kryptonian wrought across the countryside was impossible to ignore as military equipment was strewn about. Batman checked his maps and surmised that Superman was heading towards the Department of Defense Research and Development ("DARDA") headquarters fifty miles southwest of Metropolis.

He landed the Batwing fifty feet from the new doorway that Superman had punched in the reinforced wall of DARDA. Judging by the still burning panels that had shorted during the destruction, Batman wasn't far behind his quarry. Cautiously, he followed the trail of debris inside.

Superman had just cocked his fist to pound the remaining security door open when Batman threw a batarang that buzzed two inches over his ear, embedding into the steel doorframe.

"Hold it, Superman!" Batman barked. "Destroying government property isn't your style!"

Superman paid him no heed then punched the door. It splintered at its hydraulic hinges, collapsing into the room with a thud. Superman beckoned the Dark Knight onwards but didn't wait for him. To Batman's surprise, a green alien shackled under the restraint of a magnetic containment system waited for them to free him from confinement.

"This…man has been trying to contact me for weeks," Superman explained. "He finally got a message through when the Invaders hit Metropolis." His eyes quickly danced over the controls. Finding what he was looking for, Superman triggered the release mechanism. The magnetic system immediately shut down, and the alien collapsed to the floor.

"We are in grave danger." A voice intoned in their heads. The introduction to telepathy caused both heroes to jump as if they'd been electrified. Attempting to mollify them somewhat, the alien changed his shape into one resembling that of a human. A green human, but a human nevertheless.

"J'onn J'onnz," he introduced himself verbally, extending his hand. "From Mars."

Superman returned the handshake but Batman left his hands pointedly at his side. "Don't take it personally, J'onn," Superman noted with a smirk, "He doesn't trust anybody."

"A wise policy," the Martian intoned. "We must leave here quickly."

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Their subsequent escape and firefight from the DARDA lab were quick but brutal. Emerging from the building, an entire regiment of Army soldiers barred their escape. Superman knew they didn't have the luxury of time to explain themselves, but even he was surprised when the soldiers morphed into white, amorphous humanoid shapes with a red-eye in their heads resembling that of a cyclops.

Invaders.

A hail of energy weapons roared over and around them, pinning them behind a pile of rubble.

'Shapeshifters!' Batman observed, then turned to face J'onn while Superman threw a tank that crushed the nearest brigade of aliens. "Friends of yours?"

The Martian didn't respond but instead phased through him, taking the brunt of an energy blast once he'd reappeared. Responding to the threat with an explosive batarang, Batman took out the Invader who'd out-flanked them, however the Martian lay immobile at his feet.

"Get him out of here," Superman yelled, heaving another tank at the approaching column, "I'll cover you."

Batman managed to load the Martian into the Batwing and get airborne, however the Invaders were well prepared. A squadron of alien fighters intercepted the Batwing in flight. Rising to meet the challenge, Superman did his best to take them out, however there were too many for him to take on single-handed. Luckily, Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl arrived just as one of the alien fighters lasered a wing off the Batwing, sending it into a flat spin. The plane nearly cratered on the canyon floor but Lantern managed to arrest the fall with his ring.

The arrival of the unfamiliar woman took them all by surprise. After a laser blast sent Hawkgirl reeling into a mountainside, the new addition crouched over the prone Thanagarian in a defensive posture. Her perfectly aimed deflections of the incoming energy beams off her bracelets right back at the Invaders ships turned the tide of the battle.

"Who's the rookie in the tiara?" Lantern growled to Superman as they finished off the last three ships.

Still gaining leverage on an Invader ship, Superman replied "Dunno," with a grunt before he threw it into the adjacent mountainside. He was rewarded a second later with the satisfying boom of an explosion. Turning to welcome the help of the newcomer, his jaw dropped in amazement. The red boots alone were cause for comment, however the yellow, red and blue bustier covered a figure most supermodels would have gladly cut off their right arm to have.

Luckily for Clark, Flash was willing to make an even bigger ass of himself than normal, if that was possible.

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming." The scarlet speedster exclaimed with a dramatic swoon. Superman elbowed the smaller man in the ribs to quiet him, then nodding a silent hello to Hawkgirl -- he'd worked with all of the heroes gathered at one time or another -- introduced himself.

"Superman," he nodded politely, extending his hand.

She eagerly returned his clasp with a firm, yet surprisingly feminine handshake. "Diana, Princess of the Amazons. There is no need of an introduction on your part, I can assure you. I've been watching you for some time now."

"What about the rest of us?" Flash asked with a leer.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Diana asked blankly.

Ignoring Flash's pained expression, Hawkgirl decided to intercede. "From the mythical island of Themyscira, I presume?" Hawkgirl inquired. She was curious about the Amazon's origin, but even more curious about the Amazon's obvious interest in Superman.

"I can assure you that it's no myth," Diana replied. "Themyscira is protected by the Gods, but I could not idly stand by with Man's World in peril."

"Whatever," Batman interrupted from behind the group. "We've got bigger issues to deal with. This is not the time to be breaking in a newcomer."

Diana whirled to face the menacing glare of the Dark Knight. Her eyes narrowed as she appraised, then pointedly dismissed him. "We Amazons are warriors born. Want to test me?"

Superman interceded between the two of them as Batman and Wonder Woman squared off. "Let's not fight amongst ourselves."

"Agreed," J'onn's calming voice floated over them. "We need to deal with this threat while there is still time. The Invaders are not from this star system but I fear reinforcements may be on their way."

"Who are we dealing with?" John Stewart asked. "There's no record of the Lantern Corps ever facing the Invaders."

J'onn nodded in acknowledgment, then hazarded an explanation. "They attacked Mars two thousand years ago. We were a peaceful society…unable to defend ourselves. They absorbed our shape shifting abilities and almost wiped us out. Our last group of survivors stormed their stronghold and gassed them into stasis, but I'm afraid your exploration of my planet disturbed their slumber. I came here to warn you, but I was captured before I could make contact."

"It may be worse than we realize," Batman noted. "Over the past few months, I've tracked the collapse of the Deep Space Network and other communications relays. Based on that and what we just saw at that DARDA complex, we have to assume the Invaders have penetrated world governments at their highest levels. We can't count on any help from the U.S. military, or any other countries for that matter."

"And you've been holding onto this information because…" Superman muttered sarcastically.

"Because after your own little invasion a few months ago, I haven't been sure of who I could trust," Batman replied with a glare. "Now it looks like I have no other choice."

"Now that is the kind of ringing endorsement that every player wants to hear from his coach right before the big game," Flash muttered, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, Bats."

Batman glared at him, but didn't respond. Instead, he spun on his heels, retrieving a small suitcase from a storage compartment under the cockpit. Opening the case, he handed each of them an ear-mounted communications device. "We can use these to stay in contact."

Superman studied his suspiciously before fitting the device into his ear. The others followed, but he decided to voice his doubts. "You sure these will work past the eastern seaboard? This conflict is world wide after all."

"Please," Batman snapped derisively. "Don't start a dangerous precedent by thinking for a change. They're tied into a global relaynetwork."

Superman's lips turned white with anger. Lantern noticed the tension between the two men and quickly decided to change the subject. "It's settled then. Now that we're on the same 'Net, we need to form into tactical teams to hit those smokehouses hard."

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Five minutes west of the Abyssinian plains near Cairo, Diana was still stewing with anger, her pride wounded about the rude welcome she'd received from the Dark Knight. At full afterburner, the Batwing had made quick work of their flight to Egypt. She and J'onn were somewhat crammed in the backseat, however his phasing ability allowed her more room to stretch her long legs. Initially, she'd refused to ride in Batman's plane, however she conceded defeat over the Atlantic when he'd roared past her in flight at Mach 5.

As the Batwing touched down, Diana wanted to confront the Invaders head-on, however Batman pulled her and the Martian back into the shadows, removed from harm's way. They silently observed the sentinel's patrol pattern while staring in amazement at the larger Smokehouse belching black smoke into the atmosphere. While it had only been operating for a few minutes, the day was quickly turning night as the acrid smoke permeated the atmosphere. Without a word, J'onn phased, then disappeared.

"Why do we not attack?" Diana demanded.

"Patience, Princess," he lectured. "Let's see if we can determine their weakness."

J'onn returned. "There aren't any access points."

"You want access?" She demanded indignantly, then rose up into the air. "I'll give you access!"

Pulling her lasso from her hip, she looped the length around the nearest Sentinel's legs. Pulling the length taut with a mighty heave – from his vantage point Batman estimated the strain on the lasso must approach that of what Superman could generate -- she collapsed the sentinel into the Smokehouse. The walls breached with a groan then Diana gestured her two companions to follow.

"Not bad," he admitted to J'onn, then followed his new teammates into the construct.

Twenty minutes later, only two members of the team emerged.

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Wonder Woman and J'onn J'onnz rendezvoused with Flash and Lantern back in Metropolis three hours later. By the look of them, the Lantern/Flash mission had been an obvious bust as the two men stood stewing on different corners of the rooftop, trading accusing glances.

"Where's Bats?" Flash asked nervously.

"He was a true warrior," Wonder Woman lamented. Her mind was still fresh with the image of the mortal providing cover for their retreat from the ambush the Invaders had sprung on them in the Smokehouse. In the rush to form teams, she hadn't realized, until it was too late, that Batman possessed no extraphysical prowess or weaponry with which to combat the Invaders. During their retreat from the Invader's counter-attack, J'onn had taken the brunt of an energy blast. Diana picked him then levitated into the air, however she watched helplessly as the walls of the alien construct imprisoned the Dark Knight behind her. The sound of the laser weapons echoing off the walls was unmistakable.

"Gone? Bats is gone?" Flash blurted.

"This is definitely not good." Lantern intoned, then turned their attention towards the Smokehouse looming over Metropolis. "Superman and Hawkgirl are being held in there. We've got to get them out if we have any chance to win this war."

They managed to penetrate the outer walls of the Smokehouse, but as before, the Invaders were well prepared. As the new league made one, last-ditch attempt to free their comrades, one by one, they succumbed to an invisible, odorless gas, crumpling to the floor.

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J'onn woke up before his teammates. Restrained at the arms and legs, he spied them in his peripheral vision. His Martian metabolism probably accounted for the fact that he'd woken up first, however his teammates soon showed signs of waking up from their chemically fueled slumber. Once awake, what they saw made them wish they were still asleep. The Invaders had secured them in shape-shifting muck. Like quicksand, every attempt they made to escape seemed to only further tighten the muck's hold on their bodies.

To Superman's horror, Senator Carter stood gloating over them. Brandishing a laser rifle, he winked at Superman then turned his attention to J'onn.

"J'onn J'onnz," he whispered, savoring the name. "The Imperium is very much looking forward to greeting you properly. This…league that you formed has failed." He turned his gaze to Superman, grinning wickedly. "This one's naivete and eagerness to please proved to be very useful in ridding this world of the one weapon which can stop us."

Superman felt an icy ball form in his stomach as Senator Carter morphed into an alien. He realized with dread that the man who'd returned from Mars was an alien intent on destroying humankind's ability to defend itself. Enraged, he pulled harder against the muck but it constricted like a python coiling around its victim.

A skylight suddenly opened in the roof of the chamber that served as their prison. The prisoners watched with dread and fascination as a smaller ship descended through the skylight then landed a few feet away. The skylight closed quickly, then a new, sizably larger alien floated out of the ship, approaching J'onn with hostile intent. All of the alien soldiers deferred reverently, an obvious sign of homage to their leader. Without a word, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the Imperium's torso, rapidly inserting into the Martian's skin while the muck that imprisoned him dissolved away.

By the pained expression on his face, Superman and the rest of the group knew the Martian was being tortured, however none of them could have guessed the surprise that J'onn had in store for the Imperium when he interrupted his silent torture to scream "Now!"

High above them at the junction of the central power grid for the Smokehouse, Batman emerged from behind J'onn's mental cloak. He produced a polarization device that overloaded the system. An explosion rocked the factory machinery, opening up a huge hole above the imprisoned group. The machinery producing the black smoke chugged once, failed, and then a fresh gust of wind started clearing away the smoke.

Sunlight immediately poured through the gaping hole, bathing the Imperium in direct sunlight. The alien's agony was immediately evident. To Flash, it looked like some of the vampire movies he'd seen where the sunlight fried the skin of the murderous scion from Transylvania. Batman swooped down next to them while the Invader's soldiers scrambled for cover, as far away from the sunlight as they could manage.

"So you did figure out their weakness?" Diana observed, a hint of admiration audible in her voice.

"Ultraviolet light," Batman observed, nonplussed. "They can't handle direct exposure, hence the reason for the Smokehouses." He produced a laser torch that burned the muck away from her arms in seconds. The wisdom of his choice was obvious a millisecond later when she used her bracelets to deflect a series of energy bolts directed by the Invaders towards their position. Now free of the muck, she provided cover while Batman worked on freeing the others.

Superman shook his head with exasperation that the Bat had succeeded where the rest of them had failed, then started burning through the Invaders and the muck with his heat vision. Within seconds, the entire team was free, and their retribution was swift.

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It took the team another week to mop up the remnants of the Sentinels and the Smokehouses. Refining the same tactics they'd used to defeat the Imperium, the remaining Invaders soon realized their battle was hopeless against this new league of heroes. Some of the alien soldiers triggered auto-destructs and blew up their machines rather than suffer the indignity of having it smashed by the team. Others fought to the bitter end; however, their fate was the same.

One by one, the league collectively cleansed the continents of the Invaders presence. Starting with North then South America, they soon moved onto Europe, Africa, then finally Asia and Oceania. Their teamwork improved daily. Diana was surprised when the members started to anticipate each other's actions, fluidly attacking and covering each other's backs.

They all brought something different to the operation, however she couldn't help but be thrilled at the sight of Superman leading their way into each battle. When employed properly, his combination of powers, strength, speed, flight and heat vision - among others - were devastating to their opponent. At times she had to wonder whether he was holding something back, but she decided to hold her tongue, lest it be considered an implicit criticism of his methods.

Batman's participation in the team also intrigued her. His lack of powers proved to be a mere hindrance in battle. In her view, his abilities as a field general surpassed the greatest warriors in history. While his combatant skills were impressive, he preferred to simply outthink his opponent whenever possible. Even though the team members were more physically gifted than Batman, they all deferred to his natural leadership -- with the pointed exception of Superman. Batman continually found new weaknesses in the Sentinel's armor and continually refined their own tactics to minimize the collateral damage they caused.

The two men were polar opposites in terms of natural gifts, however Diana couldn't help but wonder why their relationship was so strained, so dysfunctional. An undercurrent of tension existed between them, however no one dared speak of the cause. Whenever they broke up into teams during their missions against the Sentinels, Batman and Superman never paired up, pointedly joining others or even remaining solo if that was the last option available.

Whatever the cause, their refusal to work together under any circumstances bordered on the ridiculous. Arriving in Australia, the league cleared Brisbane of the threat then stopped overnight to rest. Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide represented the last of the Invader's remaining strongholds. At their current rate, within forty-eight hours, the last of the Invader's would be wiped off the face of the planet.

Contemplating her future in Man's World, she requested a meeting with Batman and Superman under the guise of separate meetings.

They arrived almost simultaneously in her hotel room – Batman somehow always managed to arrange first-class accommodations for them in advance – and upon seeing each other, turned just as quick to depart. Before they could escape, Diana herded them into the room, then locked the door behind her to emphasize her intent.

"We need to talk," she started, a regal air of authority evident in her voice.

"Little late for a team morale building exercise, isn't it, Princess?" Batman asked dryly.

Diana stared at him sternly, but she knew he was goading her, so she pointedly ignored him.

"Sit, please." She instructed, but wasn't surprised when the two elected to stand at opposite ends of the suite. Diana pursed her lips in exasperation, but she knew going into this that the task wouldn't be easy.

"Fine then, stand." She muttered with evident sarcasm. "Drink?"

"Diana, why are we here?" Superman asked with obvious irritation. He was angry that she'd lured him here under false pretenses and didn't mind showing it.

"We've got what, one, maybe two days left until we've wiped out the remaining Invaders?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in search of a dissenter.

Both men grunted in acknowledgment.

"Have either of you considered what may happen to this group once we're finished?" Diana continued.

Neither man responded, though from Superman's nod and the limited amount she could see of Batman's expression, it was evident that the thought had occurred to both of them.

"I appreciate the fact that you both think of me as an interloper in Man's World," Diana continued quickly before either of them could tell her what they thought (she was sure she didn't want to hear Batman's opinion of her). "But I've been watching Man's World for centuries. In my opinion, this team…this league of heroes represents Mankind's best hope for the future."

"What are you proposing?" Batman asked with a bored tone of indifference that raised the hackles on her neck.

"Simple," Diana replied in the same condescending tone. "After we've wiped out the last of the Invaders, I think it only makes sense that this team should continue to work together."

"To what end?"

"Do you not see what this team is capable of?" she asked incredulously, then peered intently at his head, searching with her eyes. Finding nothing, she made an effort to disarm him with a wry smile. "For a man so bent on providing justice to his city where none existed before, it seems that cowl covers your eyes as well as your head."

"My mission is to protect Gotham," he replied stone-faced. "I cannot afford the distraction. Besides, it's not as if I'd have much to offer the League. If history serves as a guide, you two demi-gods are powerful enough to enforce your will on the rest of us, should you so choose."

"Same old Bats," Superman observed from the opposite side of the room. The malice in his voice was unmistakable. He looked at Diana then bitterly returned his gaze to Batman. Rhetorically, Superman asked, "After all, why not obsess about the past instead of looking forward to the future?"

No one said a word, then Superman decided to continue. "Diana, I for one am in favor of making this…League…permanent. The logistics of making that dream a reality however, are daunting."

"How so?" Diana asked.

"We all protect different cities," Superman replied, then started pacing the room as he worked at properly verbalizing his thoughts. "To make a real difference, we'd require communications and intelligence relays so that members could respond to threats in a timely matter. We'd have to coordinate our responses from a central location, a command center if you will, which means residential quarters for off-duty members. We'd require a quick means of transportation to address any threats, food, medical facilities. The list is endless, really. It's not a project to be taken lightly."

Nodding with comprehension at the enormity of her proposal, Diana turned to face Batman. "Would you not be able to aid us in this cause? After all, you did provide the communications relays."

"So I'm invited on the condition that I fund the entire operation?" Batman replied with a smirk. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Why you insufferable, arrogant pig!" she spat back, "You're invited because you're a warrior. However based on your reaction, I can see there is nothing further to discuss." She waved her hand at him, dismissing him from the room.

"Should I even bring up the fact that some people would view your league as a powerful threat to world security?" Batman observed.

"Then we'll have to earn their trust," Diana replied, her color rising. "Has this team of heroes not rid the world of the Invader's threat?"

"We're not done yet, Princess," Batman reminded her, "and trust me, people have a pretty short memory. Most of them have already forgotten that the Boy Scout here led an invasion a few months ago that almost wiped us out."

"That's not fair!" Diana protested. "I know for a fact that this…Darkseid had tricked him into leading that invasion."

"It doesn't matter whether he did it on his own or under the guidance of someone else," Batman snapped back. "The fact that he…and you…have those kind of powers to begin with is more dangerous than people realize."

"I will not apologize for being blessed with the power of the Gods." Diana shouted back.

"The problem of associating yourself with the Gods," Batman replied warily, "is that half the world will pray to you, and the rest of them will treat you like the Devil. Odd thing is, you don't know who's more dangerous of the two."

"I've had enough of your cynicism," Diana replied, "Get out of here before I throw you out myself."

"Should I officially request a 'By your leave'? Batman replied sarcastically, then mockingly bowed with a flourish before leaving the room.

Diana's face had turned crimson with anger by the time the door slammed shut. Superman started to open his mouth to offer an apology, however Diana waved him off before he could start. She bowed her head in resignation, then turned to face him. "I guess what my mother told me of Man's World is true. Men are petty, vindictive and not worthy of our help."

"Don't judge the entire race on the actions of one man," Superman implored. "Your idea is worthy."

She shook her head with regret, then softly whispered, "Please give my regrets to the others, will you? I'm heading back to Themyscira."

"Diana, please don't go."

She stopped and smiled warmly at him, a look of pity on her face. "If the men of this world are too stubborn to see what we can accomplish, then there is nothing here left for me to do."

Superman watched with regret as she gained altitude from the hotel balcony, heading east. He debated following her, then realized that her resolve was too strong. Shoulders slumped, he walked back into the hotel to tell the others she'd returned home.

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Two days later, the remaining members of the team defeated the last stronghold of the Invader's near Perth. The world rejoiced in celebration of their victory. Five minutes after the last Sentinel had fallen, Superman and the rest of the team watched glumly as the Batwing departed for Gotham. As the plane disappeared into the twilight, they watched with regret at the wasted opportunity.

"Who's up for dinner?" Superman asked the remaining team members, which included J'onn J'onnz, Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl. "I've got an idea that I'd like to discuss with all of you."

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Author Note: Some dialogue from the JL:Secret Origins show has been adapted or modified for brevity. As I've stated before, my goal is to write an AU story where the timeline is the same however various heroes reactions will be different, as their previous choices are shaping their new future. Derivative, but still fun.

HB


	5. Chapter 4 Reparations

Thanks to Princess and Djinn for the Beta

Chapter 4 - Reparations 

As the rest of the team reveled in the victory over the Invaders, Diana encountered a somewhat hostile welcome upon her return to Themyscira. When Diana landed in the Queen's Temple, the armor suddenly felt heavy, and for her part she felt unworthy to wear it.

Diana had never told her teammates that her armor was actually a gift from Athena to her mother Hippolyta, or worse, that Diana had stolen it for her own use after Hippolyta had rejected her petition to aid Man's World. While both women were endowed with powers surpassing the rest of the Amazon tribe, (including superior strength and the ability to fly), only Hippolyta knew the true extent of the armor's capabilities.

As Diana emerged from the vestibule into the main temple chamber, Hippolyta's jaw quickly clenched with anger. The Queen ordered the remaining sentries away from the chamber, then turned to face her daughter when they'd gone.

"I'm disappointed, Diana," Hippolyta whispered through still-clenched teeth. "You openly defied my direct order not to travel to Man's World."

"The world was in peril, Mother," Diana pleaded. "The Oracle knew our fate was sealed if Man's World was overrun."

Hippolyta considered the validity of the information, but the defiant act rankled her pride. "While the result might have positive implications for our island," she quietly allowed, "Your defiance cannot be ignored."

"I submit to your authority, as always, my Queen," Diana whispered in reply, crestfallen.

"Go to the lake country for a month and reflect on your actions," Hippolyta commanded. "You may keep the armor in the interim. Perhaps its presence will help grant you the wisdom that you seek."

"Thank you, Mother," Diana whispered, shame evident on her face. Not wanting her Amazon sisters to see her in such an emotional state, Diana steeled herself, then spun smartly on her heels, exiting the chamber.

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As Debra Lowenstein droned on about the difficulties of arranging a good caterer for her son's bar mitzvah, Lois Lane feigned polite attention, but her mind couldn't concentrate on what the woman was saying.

It wasn't that Debra was particularly odious by the standards of Gotham's wealthy inner circle. In reality, the Lowenstein's were a nice couple and Debra really had gone the extra mile to ensure her son's public transformation into adulthood was a resounding success. Lois just had more important things on her mind than exchanging pleasantries with the wife of Gotham City's most powerful investment banker.

To Lois's amazement, the lifestyle of the rich and famous had returned to normal just days after the threat from the alien Invaders had been eradicated. A week before, these same people would have thrown each other under a bus in order to escape the Invader's onslaught, but today, the entire lot of them acted as if nothing important had occurred. The fact that their ranks had been somewhat thinned during the invasion – a luxury condominium high rise two blocks away from Lois had been vaporized during the attack, killing over 700 people - seemed to matter little now.

While some of them might have blithely attributed their ability to resume the party where they'd left off due to their sheer resiliency – they'd comfortably emerged from the earthquake that had created No Man's Land without missing a beat - Lois attributed it to the fact that they were just 'Gotham Trash', unconcerned about the plight of those left homeless or destitute by the Invader's attack.

As Debra droned on, Lois spied Bruce affably kibutzing with Heywood Jablome, a city councilman known to be firmly in the pockets of both the mafia and teamsters unions. Jablome expertly played the two groups against each other in a dangerous game of detente. If there was a handout in City Hall, the man had a piece of the action. Lois politely excused herself from Debra's company, then made her way to her paramour.

Bruce noticed her approach and greeted her with a leer, making a extra show of looking down the front of her dress. The Vera Wang he'd bought was startlingly revealing in terms of décolletage. He traded knowing winks with the politician, then slipped a hand around her waist, showing her off like she was some sort of chattel.

Jablome had known Bruce for years. The councilman drank up Bruce's overt display of his property with a seedy grin, then politely excused himself when he spied one of Gotham's richest heiresses standing alone at the bar. Josephine Sinetra had a face like a truck but her pocketbook overcame the lack of physical attraction in his mind, especially since she was intently displaying her new DD implants to those in attendance.

Lois watched the man saunter to the bar then apprised Bruce with a hard glance that told him she wasn't happy.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?" she smiled through gritted teeth.

"Probably another hour or so," he replied apologetically, absently waving to an attractive woman in her late 40's who'd drunkenly offered to fellate him under a dinner table at the Gotham Country Club during last year's Christmas party. The woman coldly returned his wave, still upset he'd turned down her offer. "I haven't been seen in two weeks. Have to make sure my cover story about escaping to Switzerland ten minutes ahead of the Invaders gets around."

"Don't you ever get tired of remembering all of these cover stories?" Lois asked over her martini, coldly returning the stare of a tabloid magazine publisher who'd recently offered to hire her away from the Planet. She hadn't really considered the generous financial package, especially since she'd realized early during the negotiations that it came with the condition she meet her future employer at a hotel room for 'lunch' three times a week.

"Have to keep them guessing," he replied with a shrug. "Sometimes it tries me, but I look at it as a mental exercise to stay sharp. The day I can't remember my cover stories will probably be the first sign that it's time to move on."

"I'll stay the extra hour on the condition that I be allowed a break from the monotony of talking to these…people," Lois groaned, rubbing her temples to emphasize the severity of her headache. "Walk with me?"

Bruce nodded in assent and they quietly strolled around the grounds of the Lowenstein estate until locating a suitable refuge far from prying eyes and ears.

"You know, since you got back, you haven't really told me much about your teammates," she started, then snorted, "Not like you ever tell me much about anything, for that matter."

"What do you want to know?" he asked, wondering if she was alluding to Superman.

"What's the story with the Martian and the Amazon?" Lois inquired. "Suddenly all of you were on the news at the same time, taking out those Smokehouses like a hot knife slicing through butter."

"Given his telepathy and shape-shifting abilities, J'onn is probably more powerful than the rest of them, combined," Bruce started. "Diana is a lot like Superman, though she's a little more temperamental. Makes sense though, considering she's royalty."

"She's the Amazon Queen?" Lois blurted in surprise.

"Princess," Bruce corrected, then as an afterthought, added, "She certainly tried to act like a Queen, bossing us around."

"She did not!" Lois replied with a laugh. She tried to imagine how difficult it must have been for an outsider like the Amazon to work with Batman on a daily basis. "What happened to her?"

"She went back to Themyscira when we were in Australia," he replied, face clouding over with the memory. "She wanted to keep the team together after we were done fighting the Invaders. I refused, so she left."

"Why did you refuse?" Lois asked, stunned by his admission. "It seems like a good idea."

"On paper, yes," he replied evasively. "But when you consider the cost of putting something like that together…"

"Bruce…please. You carry enough spare change in your pocket to fund them for a year," Lois interrupted.

"…and the team dynamics, it just doesn't make any sense." He finished with a tone that signaled he would brook no argument regarding this issue.

"Is your ego so fragile that you can't imagine working with Superman on a full-time basis?" Lois goaded. "Or is it a 'lack-of-powers' thing?"

"It has nothing to do with that and everything to do with Gotham," he replied icily. "If I signed up for membership in that…"

"Justice League?" she finished with a knowing expression.

"How do you know what they're calling it?" Bruce replied, his exasperation evident in his voice.

"Because I got a call from Superman this morning," Lois replied. "He wants to give me an exclusive. I already told my editor to hold the Sunday morning headline for the interview."

"Isn't that convenient that he just happens to have you on speed dial?" he noted icily.

"Come on, Bruce," she groaned. "Give me a break. I've known him for years. Longer than I've known you."

"Which provides him ample opportunities to hover over you like a vulture, waiting to pick up the pieces if anything happens to me."

"That's not fair," she snapped angrily. "We're friends…do you want me to suddenly pretend like he doesn't exist?"

"I don't believe in the whole male/female friend thing." Bruce noted with a wary sigh.

"Bruce, you don't believe in friends to begin with," Lois responded with a sigh. "I'm probably the first person besides Alfred – and he's more of a surrogate father than a friend – who's ever seen the real Bruce Wayne. Certainly nobody here…" she gestured around the grounds, "…has ever met the real you."

Bruce didn't respond, so Lois decided to continue. She reached up, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. "I'd really like somebody -- besides me -- to meet Bruce Wayne sometime. To be honest, he's a pretty amazing guy. Despite my damnedest attempts to make things difficult, at times I've really found myself head over heels in love with him."

His eyebrows rose in delight, but his darker half still wasn't satisfied. "I still don't like the fact that you two are so close. Why didn't you tell me you knew about the League?"

"Because I wanted to see what your thoughts were before I interviewed him," Lois replied with a smirk. "My questions will be much more thought provoking…Hell, I bet I could win another Pulitzer writing about the 'Great Divide' between Batman and Superman."

"You wouldn't!" he interjected.

"It's easy to do," Lois replied with a laugh. "I'd just cite 'background sources' here in Gotham for your viewpoint, then I can get the rest from him."

"I'd prefer not to have our dirty laundry aired out in front of the world," Bruce replied grimly.

"What's the real reason you didn't want to join the Justice League?" she asked, searching his eyes. "Me?"

He considered his response for a minute, staring off into the distance as he searched for an answer she would accept. "I'm honestly not sure there's much I can bring to the group. I'm not much of a people person to begin with, and the team dynamic requires that I check my ego at the door."

"So, get a bigger door," Lois replied.

Bruce rolled his eyes then continued. "There's a huge amount of logistics that require coordination in order for it to work properly. That I can handle. The big problem is time. I barely have enough time to meet my responsibilities here in Gotham as it is, especially when it comes to you."

Her eyes widened in disbelief at his admission. "Do you mean to tell me that you didn't join the League because of me?"

"There are other reasons, but that one stood out among them when I made my decision," he replied with a shrug.

She pondered his revelation for a moment but didn't like his conclusion. "So years from now, when historians are writing about this era, somebody will figure out that Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same person. Then they'll put two and two together and remember that I was your girlfriend, and that Superman and I were –"

"Involved?" he suggested dryly.

"Whatever," she snapped, then relented. "Fine! Involved. But at the same time the Justice League formed, you didn't join. Because of me!"

She considered her train of logic for a few seconds then grew wide-eyed at her conclusion. "History will show that I was the Yoko Ono of our generation!"

"That's probably a little harsh." Bruce replied with a grin.

Lois shook her head. "Bruce, I want you to seriously reconsider the opportunity. I know that it might mean I see even less of you than I already do, but I couldn't sleep at night knowing that I was Yoko." She deadpanned.

"It may already be too late, but I'll think about it," Bruce replied, then his face grew serious when he realized how hard she was taking it. "I promise."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then Bruce drew her mouth up to his. They stayed that way for awhile, lost in the moment. Neither noticed that the photographer the Lowenstein's had hired managed to snap a quick picture of their public display of affection until it landed in the society pages that Sunday.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"Superman, how do you read me?" Hawkgirl commanded into the microphone.

"Five by five." Came the cryptic reply.

"What exactly does that mean?" Flash asked with a shiver.

"See these signal strength and frequency knobs?" Lantern replied in the distracted voice he used to answer Flash's incessant questions.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"They max out at five. If someone hears you 'five by five', then they can hear you anywhere."

"Ohh…" the Flash nodded. "Kind of like having all the signal bars on my cellphone?"

"See?" Hawkgirl added dryly. "You're not as dumb as you look."

"Thanks," Flash replied with a grin, then realized she'd taken yet another shot at him during the last few hours. "Hey!"

"Go easy on him," Lantern noted with a wink to the auburn-haired Thanagarian.

"You first," she replied, nonplussed. "I still don't see why I wasn't allowed on this test flight. I have more hands-on experience piloting in deep space than the rest of you combined."

"Superman and J'onn were responsible for most of the design modifications to that spaceship," John Stewart reminded her. "It's only fair they test it."

She snorted her derision at that response but didn't reply. Instead she turned back to the mission control panel they'd established on the top floor of Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Despite the heavy winter coat she'd borrowed from Superman's closet, Flash wasn't the only one shivering. Her teeth were chattering and with each exhalation, she could see the moisture visible in the cold air.

"Are you sure that heater's turned on?" she barked at Lantern.

"It's full blast," he replied with a shrug. "Want me to use my ring? It will warm us up."

"No thanks," she replied stoically. "I can handle it…for now."

"I know what you mean, Hawkgirl," Flash complained with another shiver. "I can't eat fast enough to keep warm here. Can't somebody come up with a better place for to use as our headquarters?"

"What do you suggest?" John replied with a grin. "Your apartment?"

"No way," Hawkgirl growled. "We do that, Flash will be telling the world that I hang out in his bedroom. Next option?"

The three of them continued to trade barbs and complaints, not noticing that the telemetry uplink to Superman's spaceship had failed.

They didn't receive another signal.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"Confirmed, lateral thrusters overheated," J'onn pronounced with satisfaction. "Just as I suspected."

"It's nothing to be happy about," Superman responded, staring through his spacesuit at his Martian companion.

"Point is," the Martian replied through his own intercom linked via his spacesuit, "that we should have power back on-line within a few minutes as soon as they've cooled off. Should we return inside the ship or wait out here?"

"Plenty of oxygen," Superman replied with a shrug. "I'm fine out here looking at the stars. Kind of reminds me of the night sky in Kansas."

"An interesting choice of destinations on the part of your birth parents, to be sure," the Martian responded blithely.

Superman turned to face him, trying to determine from the Martian's natural poker face whether he was joking or not. He knew J'onn had a sense of humor, he just wasn't sure when he used it.

As they enjoyed the view, neither of them saw the alien spaceship approach from overhead. Not that it would have mattered if they had, as a stun beam rendered both of them unconscious a moment later.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The series of jewel heists Batman had been tracking for weeks were growing more audacious at each occurrence. Following the established pattern, he'd staked out a vault at Gotham's First City Bank that he knew contained the largest remaining storehouse of gems in the city. It represented the next logical target.

He'd easily avoided the Bank's motion and pressure detectors, positioning himself at the optimum location to surprise the burglars. After an hour's wait, Batman's eyes grew huge when the approaching sound of footfalls revealed his quarry: a metapowered team of criminals including Solomon Grundy, Tsukuri, Star Sapphire, Shade and Copperhead. Behind them, a stunning blonde with a gold helmet and a white linen one-piece jumpsuit of a design he'd never seen directed the team of criminals.

His mind formulated a quick action plan while waiting for the criminal team to actually commit a crime. Batman didn't have long to wait as Solomon Grundy tore the vault right out of the wall.

Shade and Copperhead went first, each silenced by a bola that knocked them out. Star Sapphire launched an airborne attack using her energy bolts, however he ripped a security mirror off the wall, using its polished surface to reflect the beams right back at her. She crumbled to the ground with a groan. Grundy lunged at him but the mirror came in handy a second time as Batman wrapped it around the giant's head, then used the larger man's momentum to shove him roughly into the vault.

Batman had little time to appreciate his handiwork as Tsukuri's katana whizzed inches over his head. He backflipped over the return slash then caught the surprised warrior cleanly on the jaw with the heel of his boot, rendering her unconscious before she hit the floor.

"Very impressive, little man," the blonde goaded, striding towards him. "Maybe Diana's opinion of you isn't overrated."

"Give it up," he barked, then lunged to the left, barely dodging a super-speed fist aimed at his jaw. He managed to land two quick jabs, but she barely recoiled from the strikes.

"Quick, too!" she laughed, taunting him. "It won't save you, trust me."

Batman feinted to his right then brought his left leg around in a spin kick. There wasn't a human alive that could respond to his attack without injury, however the statuesque blonde easily parried the kick then threw an overhand right into his solar plexis. His knees gave out as his nerves misfired, then to his shock the woman easily hefted him over her head. Her intentions were unmistakable and his hand reached down to try and arrest his fall.

"This is for taking out my team," the blonde growled, then heaved him across the lobby. He landed against the wall with a thud, then blacked out.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"I can't believe we've lost them," Lantern growled, "They've got to be somewhere around here."

"We'll they're not here," Hawkgirl responded through the comm. link in her spacesuit as she emerged from the abandoned Kryptonian spaceship.

"People just don't go missing in space," he replied. Since his ring protected him, Lantern didn't require a spacesuit, however he'd insisted Hawkgirl wear one from the get-go if she was going to accompany him on this rescue mission. He used the ring to start sweeping the vastness of the void around him, then a few seconds later picked up a tell-tale ion trail.

"I've got something," Lantern called out, then re-formed the emerald energy bubble around the two of them.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"Hey, Bats. Wake up."

He heard the voice out in the fog, but it was weak and dim.

"Hey, Bats. You still with me?"

"Flash?" Batman mumbled, wincing in pain when he opened his eyes.

"The very same. What hit you?"

"An Amazon," Batman replied, rubbing his head gingerly.

"You tick off Diana again?" Flash asked with a laugh. "Turn her down for dinner or something?"

"It wasn't Diana," Batman replied, gratefully accepting the speedster's assistance as he rose to his feet. " How did you find me?"

"Followed the homing beacon on the little ear-phones you gave us," the speedster replied. "You weren't responding on our frequency, so I tracked you down."

"Why were you looking?" Batman asked suspiciously. "Another recruiting drive?"

"Not hardly," Flash replied with a smirk. "But I did want to give you a heads up. We lost Supes and J'onn when they were test-piloting that spaceship of his. Lantern and Hawkgirl went after them, but that leaves me…"

"…here to take care of the rest of us," Batman interrupted, rolling his eyes as he started walking away. "Thanks for the public service announcement. The world will try and get by without any super-powered help."

"Where you going?"

"Themyscira," Batman replied. "I've got to find out what our Princess knows about a rogue Amazon."

"I thought that island was supposed to be hidden," Flash noted, following him. "How you going to find it?"

"I put a tracking device in her armor when we were on Bali," Batman replied with a cocky smirk.

"Nice!" Flash exclaimed. Leaning in conspiratorially, he asked, "What did you do? Seduce her then slip it on while she was asleep?"

"No," Batman replied peevishly. "Get your brain out of the gutter, Flash. She's not that special. Everyone has one. Yours is attached to your left lightning bolt."

Flash squinted at the Dark Knight with evident disdain. "Don't mess with the fantasy, all right? The world is a dark enough place as is." As he stared at Batman, Flash got a mental image of what lay inside Diana's armor and nearly passed out from the sudden lack of blood-flow to his brain.

"Can I come?" Flash asked, eyes bulging with delight at the prospect.

"Why?"

"Well, since everyone else is in space, I've got nothing better to do. Besides, all those hot amazons are probably just waiting to slice off some love from the scarlet speedster. How cool is that?"

Batman considered the request for a moment, then relented. While Flash was a pain in the ass, admittedly there were occasions when his speed proved useful.

"Let's go," he barked, then shook his head when he realized Flash was already seated in the Batwing, waiting for him. "And don't touch ANYTHING."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The gang of criminals gasped in dismay when their leader, the woman who called herself Aresia, poured the contents of their hard-won booty into the giant vat. It was the second time they'd raised their eyebrows in dismay that evening. Earlier, she'd ground up all of their diamonds and other precious gems -- some exceeded five carats -- into a fine powder. Now that Aresia had added the jewel dust into the vat, even Star Sapphire's face clouded with disbelief.

She searched for another in the group with more courage to ask the question, however none were forthcoming. "Excuse me," Sapphire finally asked. "Why are we destroying all of these precious jewels that we went through such trouble to steal?"

"Patience, Saph, Patience." Aresia replied. "This brew of mine will incapacitate the superheroes that have made your lives so miserable these past few years. After they're down, we can steal the rest at our leisure."

The news soothed their frayed nerves and the team eagerly followed Aresia's instructions for the next few hours as the brew cooked. Aresia knew her task was finished when Copperhead, Grundy and Shade collapsed on the floor at the same time.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Superman awoke in a dark room. By the sight and smell alone, he recognized where he was.

'Holding cell," he thought with a sigh, then flexed his muscles to determine whether he'd lost any of his power while asleep. He could feel the power in his body waiting to be unleashed, then tested the door that held him. It easily bent under his applied pressure before dropping to the floor with a dull clunk.

"Will they ever learn to build a proper holding cell?" he asked rhetorically, then turned down the hallway.

"J'onn? Are you in here?" Superman called out, then winced when his voice echoed back at him.

"Here," J'onn replied weakly.

"Hold on a second," Superman muttered. Two robotic sentries appeared out of nowhere. Hovering ten feet off the ground, they each pointed a weapon at him, demonstrating their hostile intent.

"Return to your holding cell," a metallic command chirped from the nearest.

"Hold this," he muttered, then melted them with his heat vision.

A second later, he pulled the door off the hinges to J'onn's cell, releasing the Martian.

"Let's get out of here," Superman muttered, then frowned when J'onn staggered against him. "What's wrong?"

"Some kind of stasis field," J'onn replied weakly, rubbing his head. "No balance…strength."

"I'll get us out of here," Superman replied, then threw the Martian's arm over his shoulder for support.

A phalanx of the robotic sentries tried to stand in their path, but the Kryptonian's power was just too immense. Despite J'onn's deadweight, Superman had no problem smashing and melting their way through the gauntlet of sentries that blocked their path. Exiting through a new hole in the wall of the prison they'd just left, he turned his attention towards a palace situated high above the rest of the city. It seemed the most likely place to find answers, so Superman plowed through three layers of reinforced steel before arriving in the palace chamber.

A hulking humanoid rose up from his throne. Clad in a form fitting purple jumpsuit accented by armored knee-guards and spiked arm-bands, his imposing figure was further set-off by an odd looking crown wrapped around both ears. Superman had met many royal leaders in his day, but none of them looked quite so menacing.

"Are you responsible for our captivity?" Superman asked with a growl.

"Mongul, Ruler of this planet. Nothing goes on here without my permission." The man practically dripped with evil intent. "Welcome to War World."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"Why are we landing all the way out here?" Flash whined, pointing over his head. "There's a whole city back that way."

"Her signal is coming from the lakeshore," Batman replied. "Unless she found the device and dumped it."

The Batwing quietly touched down a moment later. Flash sped out of the cockpit as soon as the canopy had pulled back, then with an audible sigh of relief, relieved his bladder on the roots of a nearby tree. "Couldn't afford a urinal for the Batwing, huh?" he groaned.

Batman produced a hand-held tracking device from his belt, then headed west. "Stay here," he commanded. "Page me on the comm. link if there's any trouble."

"Like what kind of trouble?" Flash asked.

"Amazon kind of trouble."

"THAT kind of trouble I can handle!" Flash boasted.

"Tell me that again when you've got ten spears pointing out the back of your throat," Batman grumbled, then set off down a well-worn path.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Batman had only stepped a few feet into the shade of the canopy before the surroundings took hold of him. The uniform that he'd continually upgraded over the years for comfort suddenly irritated his skin. He had a desire to scratch an itch that permeated his entire body. He tried to take in a deep breath in order to focus, but his lungs burned in the tropical heat, heavy with the warm moisture in the air. A deer suddenly startled to his left, then quietly disappeared into the bush. Overhead, a woodpecker perched on a branch paid him no heed, hammering away at a new opening with his beak.

As Batman followed the path around the lake, sunlight intermittently streamed through the canopy. He clicked the filter on his cowl, but the light only seemed to grow more intense at every step. A covey of quail crossed his path, seemingly oblivious to his menacing outline.

He stopped for a moment at a juncture where the path neared the lake, allowing himself a moment to wipe the sweat away from his brow. The lake called to him, beckoning him to remove the offending uniform, begging him to take refuge in its cool confines.

Batman seriously debated taking the plunge then decided the lake would provide the relief he so desperately deserved. He'd just started to removal the cowl when a splash to his right startled him. Batman froze, mesmerized, as a nude Diana suddenly emerged from the water twenty meters away. He slipped behind a tree trunk, silently tiptoeing as his ninja master had trained him so not to disturb his quarry. He reveled in her splendor, a voyeur without care.

She stood naked for more than a minute, wringing the water from her hair. Ensconced in the comfortable confines of her island, much like Eve in the Garden of Eden, Diana had no qualms about her nudity. He peered about, searching for the presence of another Amazon, but found none. By their own volition, his feet suddenly propelled him forward, stalking her through the tall grass.

Batman had almost reached her position when she pulled down a white shift hanging off of a branch above her. She dappled the water off her face, then her eyes grew huge with surprise when the Dark Knight emerged from the forest only a few feet away. The shock of seeing him on Themyscira paralyzed her, then her surprise was further compounded when he took her roughly, bringing his mouth down on her own without even whispering a simple greeting.

Diana initially pulled back from his kiss; however his desire was primal, insistent. His need overcame her for a moment, and she succumbed to him. He ran his gauntlet-shackled hands through her hair, holding her, before they started migrating downwards, lightly caressing the alighted points on her chest. His rough caress was welcome; however the heat of her own response jerked her back into reality. The passion that he radiated suddenly dimmed with the reality of the situation, and the two of them separated breathlessly, wide-eyed with the revelation of what just had occurred.

"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped, then looked down, confirming the worse of her suspicions. She stood before him mother-naked, cradling the crumpled shift against her stomach, while her breasts and the tuft at her loins were clearly visible.

Embarrassed, he turned away, as if to offer some privacy. The move probably saved him from a concussion, as her fist arrived a millisecond later, glancing off his jaw. The force of the impact was still sufficient to crumple him to the ground

"What do you think you're doing?" she screamed again, diving into the cotton shift. Angrily, Diana pulled it over her head, then smoothed the excess material over her torso until it covered her knees.

Batman stared at her; blood trickling from his chin as he tried to explain his actions, then shook his head with resignation. No lucid explanation came to him. Helpless and confounded by his own actions, he just stared, silently trying to offer an apology with his eyes.

Over her shoulder, Flash suddenly appeared, an ear-to-ear grin visible on his face.

"Hey, Diana," Flash warbled. "How's things?"

Diana stared at the newcomer with equal ferocity, but Flash's goofy grin somewhat disarmed her. "Unsettling, to say the least. Why are you here? How did you find me?"

Batman ignored the last question as he surmised it probably would earn him another shot in the mouth, then groggily worked his way off the pine needles until he was standing upright. "There's a rogue Amazon in charge of a group of meta-powered thieves… they've stolen most of the precious gems on the Eastern seaboard in the last few days."

"An Amazon?" Diana replied with contempt. "That's impossible. We never leave the island."

"Never?" Batman asked warily, then opted not to point out that she was recently an obvious exception to the rule. He produced the necklace from his pocket, then cautiously approached her. Diana took the necklace, her eyes bulging with recognition.

"I take it you've seen that somewhere before?" he muttered, spitting out blood.

"It belongs to a sister," she replied. "Where did you say you found it?"

"I ripped it off her neck before she tried to throw me through a wall," he replied. "Based on what I've seen today, I'd judge the two of you to be on par, strength-wise. Sound familiar?"

"Her name is Aresia," Diana replied. "She's currently meditating in a temple on the southern side of the island."

"When did you last see her?"

"Here, a day after I returned from Man's World. She visited, curious what I'd learned about Man's World."

"It fits the pattern. Can you take us there?"

"No, but I will investigate your claim. Where is your transport?"

"On the eastern side of the lake, parked in a meadow,"

"I will meet you there in an hour," Diana noted sternly, then set off down the path. She glanced at Flash, then as an afterthought, added, "Perhaps you could use the time to teach your friend some manners."

"Will do, Di," Flash noted with a casual salute, then watched her disappear into the forest. He walked over to Batman, then gently elbowed him in the ribs. "How you feeling, Mac-Daddy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Batman growled.

"I saw you groveling with Wondy," Flash replied with a leer. "That was pretty…hot."

"Shut up."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Lantern and Hawkgirl were relieved when the ion trail they were following led them directly to a planet forty parsecs from their teammate's last location. As Lantern had told her ad nauseum, they were taking a tremendous risk of his ring battery losing its charge before locating their friends. As it currently stood, the ring had plenty of power to return them to Earth, assuming they could locate Superman and J'onn.

Once in the atmosphere, they didn't have to look very long as the reverberations alone told them where to look. Using the ring, they followed the source of the earthquake propogations directly back to the largest city on the planet. There, they found Superman engaged in a knock-down, drag-out punch-fest with an alien almost twice his size. In terms of strength, the two humanoids were equally matched, and the thunderclap of power generated by their punches were knocking down buildings.

Hawkgirl found J'onn nearby, incapacitated by an energy field which Mongul used to fuel the planet's power requirements. That the field was quickly poisoning the atmosphere did not concern Mongul, especially not at the moment, as Lantern and Superman were now working together to take him down.

Finished, they left the tyrant unconscious, secured to a steel post by a band of prometheum Superman wrapped tightly around the man's torso. Reveling in their newfound freedom, the jubilant populace was raining down pieces of rubble onto Mongul's head, jeering at him and roaring with approval at each strike.

Content with their handiwork, John Stewart prepared to encase the four of them in his emerald traveling bubble when he had a thought. "Anybody need a bathroom break? It's going to be an eight-hour ride back to Earth."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Batman was nearly finished mentally designing a hypersonic device that would render men blessed with super-speed silent at the touch of a button when Diana thankfully emerged into the meadow. Dressed in her armor, the set of her jaw and quick stride told him everything he needed to know. He flipped on the auxiliary power generator to warm up the engines even before she'd reached the plane.

"Not there?" he hazarded a guess.

"The only thing I found," Diana replied icily, holding up a sheaf of papers, "were these."

She handed them over to Batman for a quick inspection.

"What's wrong with notebooks?" Flash asked blankly.

"They're from Man's World," Diana replied. "We're not allowed to have items from Man's World…"

"…much less have men from Man's World," Batman interrupted, handing back the paperwork. "These notes indicate a recipe for a genetically engineered plague. She's using the precious stones she's stolen as a reactant."

Diana nodded, alarmed by the gravity of the situation. "Can you help me find her? If she's responsible for any deaths in Man's World, it could cause considerable problems here on the island."

"I'm afraid the problems have grown considerably worse, my daughter." Hippolyta's voice boomed over them. Flash and Batman looked on in alarm as a squad of Amazon warriors surrounded the plane.

"Mother, what is the meaning of this?" Diana asked.

"It seems that your time in Man's World has clouded your judgment," Hippolyta noted, disbelief evident in her voice. "You have violated our most sacred law by bringing men to our island."

"The fault was ours, Your Highness," Batman intoned. "We are here solely to request Diana's help in locating a rogue Amazon."

Hippolyta's gaze swung quickly back to Diana. "To whom does he refer?"

"Aresia," Diana noted, a quaver in her voice betraying her.

"Aresia is in Man's World?" Hippolyta snapped, then stared hard at Diana. "Do you not see what your disobedience has caused?"

"Your daughter had nothing to do with Aresia's appearance in my world," Batman interrupted.

Hippolyta spun angrily to face him, and the platoon of warriors edged menacingly closer to the plane in response to their Queen's sudden aggression. "Do not dare speak to me again, you…abomination."

"Mother, both of these men demonstrated tremendous courage during the invasion," Diana protested. "It is only right that we give them the respect they have earned."

"Your defense of them only confirms my initial suspicions," Hippolyta replied icily. "Diana of Themyscira. You have violated our most sacred law. It is with great regret that I impose the sanction required. You are hereby banished from the island, never to return."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh, your Highness?" Flash asked with a sneer, striding towards the Queen to make his point. He quickly retreated when several spears suddenly pointed at his throat.

"I regret that you've chosen to ignore civility and respect," Diana replied coldly, further emphasized with a curt bow. "And I humbly accept your judgment. Goodbye, Mother. Perhaps with time you'll understand why I did this."

Diana turned and nodded at Batman, who by now had spooled his engines up sufficiently to ignite the thrusters. "Will you show me the way to find my rogue sister?"

"Follow me," he nodded, then closed the door after Flash jumped into the co-pilot's position.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The return to Gotham was thankfully aided by a shift in the jet-stream, reducing their headwind considerably. Flash babbled the entire way about the 'battle-axe' who'd banished her own daughter from her house, constantly asking Batman, "What kind of woman does that to her daughter?"

Batman had no response, then landed the Batwing on the helipad of the Fifth – Second Bank. Diana touched down a moment later.

"Is Aresia nearby?" she asked darkly.

"Patience, Princess," Batman replied, peering over the rooftop edge. Given the late hour, he was expecting to find the streets relatively empty. Instead, pandemonium had broken out below, with numerous car crashes and fires scattered along the streets. Ambulances were treating the wounded as quickly as possible, but there seemed to be no end to the supply of victims.

"Are we too late?" Diana asked. "It looks as if the plague is already affecting the population."

"Yes," Batman replied ominously. "The male half."

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash spent the next hour addressing the most pressing emergencies in Gotham City. As men succumbed to the virus, fires, train wrecks, power outages and similar occurrences were mounting at an exponential rate. There was nothing the team could do other than put their fingers in the dam and hope to stem the flood.

The return of the remaining members of the Justice League from their deep space mission provided a welcome relief, however it was short-lived. Batman quickly de-briefed J'onn, Lantern, Hawkgirl and Superman about Aresia's plan. Superman and Hawkgirl took off for the south side of the city while the two John's headed for the waterfront.

Diana watched with regret as Superman disappeared over the horizon, then turned her back on Flash and Batman for a moment to divert a ruptured water main. When finished, she found the two men wobbling on their feet, new victims of the plague. She called Superman back to their position. He arrived a moment later, then without a word, picked up the two men over his shoulder and headed north on a determined route. Using his x-ray vision to locate the entrance to the Cave, Superman left them under Alfred's care. By the time he returned to Diana's position, Superman exhibited the same symptoms. Lantern collapsed next and J'onn was forced to take both men back to the Fortress of Solitude to try and find a cure.

"Looks like its just down to us," Hawkgirl noted grimly as the two women gained altitude, heading towards the Zappan Tee bridge. They needed to move back a number of trucks and busses wrecked perilously close to the edge.

"Maybe it's for the best," Diana replied coldly. "I haven't been overly impressed with the need for men yet."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, Princess," Hawkgirl retorted.

"If you're referring to sex, I'm not a virgin." Diana replied sternly, moving a bus backwards off the edge. "Amazons weren't forbidden to travel off the island until a few centuries ago. Up until then, we were quite active, sexually-speaking, with men."

"I had no idea," Hawkgirl muttered with a shake of her head. She inspected the bridge for more vehicles in jeopardy, but they'd taken care of the most pressing. "We need to find this Amazon sister of yours before she starts spreading the plague to other continents."

"Agreed."

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The two women scoured the city with no luck until Star Sapphire appeared in the sky next to them.

"What do you want?" Hawkgirl demanded as Diana looked on blankly. The Thanagarian had no interest apprehending a second-tier villain while there were other more pressing matters at hand.

"I have some information that may prove useful," Sapphire replied. "Aresia is taking this man-hating thing too far for my tastes. I can lead you to her hideout."

"Fine," Hawkgirl muttered, powering up her mace. "Lead on."

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

They managed to intercept Aresia's co-opted bomber that she'd modified to launch plague-loaded cruise missiles. Before Aresia reached launch altitude to strike at Europe, Africa and Asia, Diana tore open a door to access the plane. The resulting decompression sent the bomber hurtling toward the ocean below.

"Give up, Aresia," Diana yelled when she reached the cockpit, then landed a hard right cross on her tribal-sister's chin. To her credit, the blonde shrugged off the punch, then landed a spin-kick to Diana's ribs that sent her reeling into the navigation systems. The electrical board shorted as a result of the impact, then a fire quickly spread through the cockpit. Tsukuri and Hawkgirl traded parries with their katana and energy mace, respectively, however the Thanagarian was quickly gaining the upper hand, forcing the Japanese warrior away from the cockpit.

"Why do you want to stop me?" Aresia snarled as she and Diana circled each other, parrying blows. "You realize that I'm only taking your Mother's teachings to their logical conclusion."

"You have no right to judge these men!" Diana replied, then landed a left hook/overhand right combination which finished off the blonde Amazon.

Diana allowed herself a quick glance at the windshield and spied the ocean rapidly approaching. She reached out to her sister, offering a hand up. "Please, Aresia. Come with me."

"Never!" the rogue Amazon replied. "I hate you!"

Diana's head dropped to her chin, crestfallen that her sister was willing to die rather than face the consequences of her act, then flew out the doorway with Hawkgirl and Tsukuri (now bound as their prisoner). They hovered comfortably at three thousand feet and watched with regret as the plane impacted into the ocean below them. A secondary explosion threw a column of water five hundred feet into the air, dispelling any doubt that the Amazon might have survived the initial impact.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Superman woke up with a groan. He surveyed his surroundings and was surprised to realize that he was resting in his bedroom at the Fortress of Solitude. The door slid open and he did a double-take when Diana brought in a tray of food.

"How are you feeling?" she asked warmly.

"Better. What did I miss?" he asked, sipping gratefully at the hot tomato soup.

"Not much. J'onn and Hawkgirl – mostly Hawkgirl since J'onn was affected as well - used Aresia's notes to synthesize a cure for the plague here in your laboratory. Flash is distributing the cure around the world as we speak."

"What happened to Aresia?"

"Hawkgirl and I stopped her from launching another plague attack," Diana responded stiffly. "She didn't want to be taken alive, so she went down with her plane."

Superman stared at her for a moment, weighing the gravity of what she'd told him. "That must have been tough, having to watch a sister of yours go rogue like that."

"Aresia told me she was only taking the Amazon teachings to their natural conclusion," Diana noted, then surprised him by perching onto the bed next to him. "I've been thinking about that ever since."

"And?"

"And I've come to the conclusion that she was wrong," Diana concluded. "As was I. I should have stayed here with you to help start the Justice League."

"What are you going to do now? Return to Themyscira?"

"Unfortunately my Mother has banished me from the island. My defiance of her edicts, combined with Flash and Batman's arrival on the island, convinced her it was necessary."

"What will you do now?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Batman told me that you formed the Justice League when I returned to Themyscira," Diana replied. "If you'll have me, I'd like to join, along with your other new member, of course."

"Who's that?" Superman asked, searching his memory.

"Batman," Diana replied with a smirk. "I told him I was going to join an hour ago, and he told me that if I did, he'd have no other choice but to join up, if only to keep an eye on us."

"Same old paranoid Bats," Superman observed with a wry shake of his head.

"He also said he's going to build a new headquarters," Diana stated with a trace of bewilderment. "Apparently he has misgivings about this one."

"Where are you going to stay in the interim?" Superman asked.

Diana's cheeks flushed with embarrassment for a moment before she replied. "I hoped I could stay here, or maybe with you in Metropolis."

"Of course," he replied with a nervous tic, "there's plenty of room here, but I only have a one-bedroom apartment in Metropolis."

Diana bit her lip, nervously trying to think up the best way to address the next topic.

"Something on your mind?" he asked blankly.

"Hera, help me," she muttered. "As I'm still new to Man's World, I don't know the customs at all."

"What customs?" he asked.

"Mating rituals."

His eyes grew wide. "Mating rituals? As in, you want to…mate with me?"

Diana pursed her lips, considering the question. "What is the equivalent ritual…the pre-cursor to mating…called here in Man's World?"

"Dating?"

"Yes! That's it," she noted with satisfaction. "I would like to learn more about dating in Man's World."

Superman considered the suggestion for a moment, then with regret remembered the heartrendering picture of Lois and Bruce that he'd seen splashed across the Daily Planet society page. "A date it is, then. Tomorrow night, nine o'clock?"

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Author Notes: 1) A beta pointed out to me last chapter that Diana of comic world is blessed with superspeed. In the animated universe she's fast but not in the same league as Superman/Flash. I'm using the animated version of her speed. 2) Some you may recognize the scene of Batman sneaking up on a nude Wondy from Matt Wagner's 'Trinity'. I wholly acknowledge the comic derivative of that scene and hope my attempt to pay homage to that particular passage is entertaining to the reader.


	6. Chapter 5 Transitions

Chapter #5 -

A small cellphone he'd bought a year before vibrated in Clark Kent's shirt-pocket. His every-day cellphone was silent on his beltclip. There was only one person who had the number for the phone in his shirt-pocket. She would typically call Superman a few hours in advance to let him know whether she wanted him to drop by for one of their little 'talks' on her hotel balcony.

Sitting at his Daily Planet desk, he debated about slipping into one of the conference rooms for more privacy, but decided to chance it, covering the receiver with his hand as best he could.

"Hello." Clark answered, hardening the tone of his voice slightly to Superman.

"Hi, it's me."

"Hi, me."

"For a superhero, you're surprisingly funny," Lois replied. "Busy?"

"Nothing I can't handle. What's up?"

"I can't make it tonight," Lois whispered, a hint of trepidation in her voice. "It's not fair to you, or to him."

"I understand," Clark replied calmly, but his lip quivered while he stared across the newsroom. "I wish you luck, I really do."

"That's very kind of you," Lois whispered. "That's what makes this so hard. Can we still be friends?"

"We were never anything but friends," Clark whispered bitterly. "But it makes it easier to move on anyway. Take care of yourself." He hung up the phone before she could reply.

With a pang of regret, he quietly crushed the phone into little pieces, surreptitiously dumping the contents into his trash can. Clark looked at his watch then with a start realized that he'd tentatively made a date with Diana the previous day. He'd left her exploring the Fortress of Solitude, but the various halls displaying Krypton's history and heritage would only entertain her for so long.

'I've got to get to the grocery store,' he mused, trying to think up a meal which might impress the Amazon Princess.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"So where did you learn to cook?" Diana asked, the corner of her mouth upturned in a warm smile. She was sitting on a barstool, having flown with Superman from the Fortress to an unfamiliar apartment in Metropolis a few minutes before. It was relatively late in the city, though Superman had ensured their arrival went unnoticed, hugging the rooftops and parapets before quickly sneaking onto his balcony with Diana in tow.

"Both of my parents are pretty handy in the kitchen." Superman replied, distracted by the task of mixing a Caesar salad at superspeed. He placed the large bowl next to a basket of crescent rolls, roasted chicken, and a bowl of fettucine. "I learned from them. It's not as if I'm a gourmet or anything. Besides, restaurants are pretty expensive in this town on a reporter's salary, and eating in a restaurant dressed like this can attract a crowd."

Diana's face clouded at that revelation. "Your parents? I thought you said you were the last Kryptonian."

Superman nodded in understanding at her confusion, then motioned for Diana to sit at the dinner table. He poured her a glass of iced tea as he started to explain. "I was born Kal-El on Krypton. A few weeks later, my birth parents, Jor-El and Lara, sent me to Earth in a spaceship to escape that planet's destruction. I grew up as the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. My name…here on Earth anyway…is Clark Kent. In order to pay the bills – " he dashed out of the dining room at superspeed and came back dressed in his trademark blue-suit and thick, horn-rimmed glasses "- I work as a newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you for an interview."

Surprised by his sudden change of appearance, Diana slowly nodded in assent to his request, all the while processing the information, then followed up. "So what would you like me to call you? Superman, Kal-El or Clark?"

"As long as I can remember, nobody has ever called me Kal. Clark is fine around the apartment, but everyplace I wear the uniform I'd prefer Superman. Less chance of confusion for those not in-the-know."

Diana thought about his admission for a moment, then her eyes narrowed. "So who else knows about the dual identity?"

"My parents in Kansas, obviously. My cousin, Kara Zor-el, who you probably know as Supergirl…"

"I've only saw her once in through the scrying glass. Is she from Krypton as well?"

"She's Argonian. A sister planet the Kryptonians colonized centuries ago. When Krypton exploded, Argo's orbit deteriorated. The planet froze overnight. I found Kara in a stasis chamber my uncle had built. As for her infrequent appearances here, that is by design." Clark admitted, eyebrows knitting. "She's young. I want her to complete her education before she starts patrolling on a full-time basis."

"What does SHE want?"

"Kara?" Clark snorted. "She wants to patrol full-time."

"Is that so wrong? Why not let her?"

"Because if she patrols full-time as Supergirl and doesn't act human, there's a better than average chance that she'll get addicted to the power."

"Interesting observation," Diana replied between bites of chicken. "Come from personal experience?"

"I did a lot of damage to my reputation leading Darkseid's army to Earth," Clark noted. "I don't want her to go through something like that."

"I watched that battle with the Oracle," Diana noted with a frown. "How did they stop you?"

"Blasted me with radiation generated by a mineral from my planet called Kryptonite," Clark replied grimly. "It's my only real weakness. The only good thing that came out of that Kryptonite blast was the fact that the trauma nullified Darkseid's brainwashing."

Her face blanched slightly at the mention of Darkseid. He was the one enemy she'd seen from the scrying glass that gave her pause. "Did you kill Darkseid?"

"No, I don't kill," Superman replied grimly. "I left those he'd tyrannized for years to decide his fate."

Diana pursed her lips as if she was going to argue the point, then thought better of it. "Are there other weaknesses?" Diana replied with a forced grin, trying to lighten the tone. "A woman, perhaps?"

He forced a smile as well in response, measuring how much he wanted to divulge on the first date. He decided that if they were going to be teammates, or maybe even more judging by the way she was looking at him, Diana might as well know the whole story. "Awhile back there was a girl that I worked with at the Daily Planet. She was always getting into trouble, requiring Superman's help. Some of my enemies eventually got wind of that and held her hostage as leverage."

"What happened?" Diana asked, making a show of looking around the room. "I don't see her here."

"She liked Superman but she wouldn't give Clark Kent the time of day. I don't think she ever understood that Clark Kent is who I am, Superman is what I do."

"Interesting observation," Diana replied. "So you never let her in on the big secret?"

"It came close a number of times, but before I resolved myself to tell her, she started

dating Batman while he was on a mission here in the city. She moved to Gotham a few weeks later."

"Let me make sure I have this straight," Diana started, eyebrows raised high. "This woman chose him…over you?"

"It's not quite that simple. I never really declared my intentions towards her, so in all fairness, when he showed up, Lois was fair game."

"And Batman pursued this…Lois…upon arrival?" Diana queried.

"Well, Batman also has a secret identity and no, I'm not going to tell you who he is," Clark noted with a wry grin. "Lois didn't find out he was Batman until it was too late."

"Too late for you, you mean?"

"Touche," Clark replied, then he allowed himself a scowl. "Do we really need to talk about him all night? He's not my favorite subject."

"Nor mine," Diana soothed. "It's just intriguing from my perspective, that's all. After all you two have been through, no wonder you don't get along."

"I don't hold a grudge against him for Lois, not anymore, anyway. He's everything I'm not. Sauve, rich, sophisticated…"

"What is it then?"

"I've always suspected that he was responsible for supplying the kryptonite to the military." Clark admitted, the guilt of that day still evident on his face. "That blast almost killed Kara."

"Can you prove it?"

"No."

"Who else had access to kryptonite?"

"Dr. Hamilton at Star Labs has a sample in his vault." He mused. "Lex Luthor keeps a piece on him at all times."

"So it's possible they were responsible?"

"I doubt it. You have no idea of how ruthless and cold Batman can be."

"I saw firsthand how quickly he changed tactics against the Invaders," Diana pointed out, sitting back in her chair. "He's a cunning warrior, to be sure." Her eyes twinkled as she debated about whether to tell Clark about her encounter with Batman on Themyscira, then Diana realized that Clark had been brutally honest about the details of his own life so quid pro quo only made sense.

"But 'cold' is not a word that comes to mind when I think of him. Batman is quite ardent in his own way. Did I tell you that he kissed me when they came to find me on Themyscira?"

Clark's eyes grew huge with amazement. "He kissed you? Where? When?"

Diana related some of the basic details of the story, but she decided to leave out the parts involving her nudity as well as the part where where she'd returned Batman's kiss before coming to her senses. Clark's ego was sensitive enough.

She saw Clark's face turn to scowl again, and she decided to change the subject. She perched her chin languidly in her hands, then whispered in a sultry voice, "But as you've said already, enough about him. I'm done eating. Do you want to sleep with me?"

Clark almost spit out the last bite of chicken he was scraping from his plate. He coughed a few times so not to choke, then cleared his throat with a few sips of iced tea.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Fine," he gasped. "You just surprised me, that's all. I'm not used to a woman being so…direct."

"Is that a problem?" she asked, concerned. "I just assumed from Batman's actions that men and women are somewhat forthright about declaring their intentions."

"Not a problem," he replied. "Just different. "

"Different? Good different?"

He pushed his chair back from the table, a strong resolve evident on his face. Clark reached down and pulled Diana out of her chair, then kissed her tenderly. "Definitely good different."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"You're late," Lois noted with a mock scowl.

"Sorry." Bruce replied, sitting down at his private table in the executive dining room of Wayne Enterprises.

Lois waited for the waiter to take their drink order before pressing for information. "This is getting to be a routine, you know. We haven't had a real date in a month."

Bruce winced but lamely offered a shrug of resignation. "Don't blame me. You were the one who wanted me to join the League."

"I haven't seen any indications that you've gone on any missions with them."

"I haven't."

"Then what's so damned important that you've been skipping out on our dates?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Bruce, please don't develop a sense of humor at this point. It would change the dynamic entirely." Lois teased, then her expression grew serious. "Really, what are you working on?"

His eyes twinkled with delight, but he waited until the waiter had delivered their drinks and taken their lunch orders before divulging the secret. "Did you happen to catch that announcement about that Ariane-5 rocket that went off-course last week?"

"It wasn't exactly headline news," Lois replied, searching her memory. "But I think it was somewhere on the news briefs."

"Page nine to be exact." Bruce replied proudly. "Second time in two months that a WayneTech satellite was lost during launch. Insurance companies are starting to hate me."

Lois processed the information for a few seconds then a grin spread across her face. "So what are you building up there?"

"A space station," Bruce replied in between bites of chicken cordon bleu. "Want to see it?"

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After he'd announced to the Justice League that he was joining them as 'an associate', Batman had promptly disappeared for six weeks. He'd ignored all of their calls during that time, then as suddenly as he'd disappeared, Batman paged them on the comm. link, ordering them to report to the Fortress of Solitude by noon. Superman had arrived first, aghast to find Batman waiting patiently in the hangar bay next to a plane that loosely resembled a white SR-71.

"How did you get in?" Superman barked, furiously scanning his security systems for damage. There was none.

"I asked nicely," Batman replied innocently, then turned his attention towards the rest of the team as the members individually arrived in the hangar. "Besides, its not like I haven't been here before."

Superman opened his mouth to further inquire about that admission when one by one, they all whistled amazement at the new plane.

"What do you call it?" Lantern asked, nodding at the plane.

"Javelin-7," Batman replied.

"What's it for?"

"League missions."

"Capabilities?"

"Mach seven at fifty thousand feet. Mach twenty-five at one hundred thousand. Warp six once you're out of the Earth's gravity well."

"Mach twenty-five?" Hawkgirl asked, "Isn't that…"

"Escape velocity?" Batman interrupted.

"Yes."

Superman knitted his eyebrows in exasperation. "You built us a spaceplane? Why?"

"When I heard about the little misadventure with your spaceship, I thought it only made sense to build us something reliable."

"Where did you get the technology?" Superman pressed. "Your plane isn't space capable."

"Borrowed the thrusters from the schematics on your computer." Batman replied impatiently. "Everything else is from spare parts from NASA. Can we go?"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"I still can't believe the view," Diana marveled, looking down at Earth from a vantage point of 1,000 miles high.

"Batman does like his little surprises," Superman responded with awe. "But I never expected…this."

The two were standing on the Observation Deck of a space station Batman called The Watchtower. With Batman at the controls of the Javelin, the flight up from the Fortress of Solitude was amazingly smooth. Once they'd reached the inky darkness of space, Batman had plugged in a series of coordinates into the autopilot that took over the controls. Minutes later, a spacestation loomed out of the darkness.

Batman took over manual control, completed a revolution around the spacestation so that his passengers could all get a look, then hit a button on the pilot console. Two hangar bay doors opened, then a series of landing lights switched on dramatically as they entered the station.

They touched down in the hangar next to a boxy looking craft. J'onn looked at it with interest.

"Shuttlecraft." Batman noted, securing the controls. "Not as fast as the Javelin in the atmosphere nor is it deep space capable. On the other hand, it can lift five tons of deadweight up to orbital level. I installed four of those anti-gravity pod designs you showed me for lift and propulsion. It will serve as our cargo carrier for supply runs or to ferry members back to Earth if the Javelin isn't available."

Exiting the plane, Batman led them through a guided tour of the Watchtower. Surprisingly spacious, the structure was over two hundred meters tall by thirty meters wide. Engineering, life support, communications and the central computer were housed on the lower floors under the hangar bay. Above that, a workout room with weights, stairmasters and even a sparring mat occupied another level. An infirmary with four beds sat directly across from a conference room on the next level. A cavernous Monitor Room dominated the central part of the structure, with an elevator system available for transport down to the hangar and lower spaces as well as up to the residential quarters and living spaces in the upper levels. At the top floor, an observation deck provided an uninterrupted view of the planet below. The seven of them were milling about there now, but Diana and Superman had broken away to enjoy the view by themselves.

"An impressive facility," John Stewart noted behind Superman and Wonder Woman. "But is all this really necessary?"

Flash, Hawgirl and J'onn J'onnz considered the question a few feet away. None of them noticed the Dark Knight emerging from the shadow of a bulkhead until he was upon them.

"This facility will allow us to respond to any threat in a real-time basis. All of the systems are pre-set to emergency broadcast networks around the globe, not just the U.S."

The group followed him back down to the residential quarters, where they were pleasantly surprised to find large bedrooms and private bathrooms. "Diana," Batman murmured, punching in a master command code to open the door. "This is your room. Next door is Flash, then Hawkgirl, J'onn, Lantern and Superman."

"How did you decide that order?" Flash asked.

"Alphabetical. Next question."

"Where do you sleep?" Diana inquired.

"Who sleeps?" Batman deadpanned, then activated the security system. "Computer, acknowledge Batman, Security Code 01."

"Batman, acknowledged." A feminine, yet metallic voice chirped back.

Batman turned to Superman. "Can you repeat that sequence when asked, only use your name and Code 02?" Superman nodded in reply.

"Computer, acknowledge the following voice as Superman."

"Superman, acknowledged."

Batman turned to Diana. "You're next. Code 03."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The tour had just wound down when Batman surprised J'onn, Lantern, Hawkgirl and Flash by inviting them to explore the kitchen and monitor stations. It wasn't an order, but the four responded warily, as if they'd been dismissed.

Once the four had disappeared behind a corridor bulkhead, Batman turned to face Diana and Superman, then beckoned them into the conference room.

Warily, Superman sat down on the opposite side of the table from Batman, while Diana sat between them.

"Problem?" Superman asked.

"When are you two going to tell the others?" Batman responded.

"Tell the others about what?" Diana asked.

"Tell the others what's going on between you?"

"Are you sure there's something going on?" Superman smirked.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, Bats aren't actually blind, but apparently Kryptonians are now deaf. Noting that, I'll repeat my question loudly, when are you going to tell the others?"

"Is it really any of their business if Superman and I are involved?" Diana asked, firmly returning the Dark Knight's accusing stare.

"I've already expressed my concerns about the world's view of a group of superpowered beings forming a league not sanctioned by a body of government."

"What you do in Gotham could hardly be described as 'sanctioned'," Superman observed sarcastically.

"People still see me as a man, not a god." Batman replied coldly. "Back to the league. Some will worship you, others will condemn. We'll deal with that when the time comes. Noting my reservations about the League itself, I'm still a firm believer that dating within the team always leads to disaster," Batman observed. "Think about the ramifications. You're two of the most powerful beings on the planet. Once the world press realizes Diana has joined the League and that you two are in a relationship, they'll start to wonder if you're planning on having the next generation of demi-gods to help lord over the Earth."

"After what happened on the island, certainly you have no right…" Diana started.

Batman cut her off before she could continue. "And that's the best case scenario if it does work out happily-ever-after. If it doesn't work out, we'll have to start re-arranging duty rosters so the two of you don't have to see each other except on those rare occasions where we have to save the world. We're averaging twice a month there by the way." He noted flippantly.

Superman and Diana stared sullenly at him, but neither said a word.

"Look, as much as you may want it to be, this conversation isn't personal. Based on firsthand experience, I've learned the hard way that the team dynamic can be irreparably damaged once a romance goes sour."

Diana and Superman stared hard at each other in response, then Superman decided to respond. "Whatever your agenda is here, Batman. Rest assured that Diana and I are adults, perfectly capable of having a relationship…good, bad or indifferent…without your intervention."

Batman's eyes narrowed with anger, but he decided to let Clark's insolent tone pass. "Agreed, but I think it's only fair to the rest of the team that if things get serious, you respect them enough to let them know what's going on."

"How will we know if it's serious by your standards?" Diana mocked.

"Because if it gets that far, I'll already have told them. In the meantime, consider your interaction on missions and here in the Watchtower. If other members start to notice that you only go on missions with each other, they'll figure it out soon enough."

Batman kicked his chair back from the table. "I've said my peace about this. Who wants to be first to fly the Javelin?"

Diana shrugged blankly then replied. "I do."

Clark scowled.

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Sitting alone, surrounded by sea of empty desks normally occupied by fellow reporters who'd long since gone home, Clark Kent was busily hammering away at his keyboard console, trying to meet a ten p.m. publishing deadline. His senses suddenly told him he wasn't alone. It was Lois fragrance that gave her away. Not that his super-hearing couldn't pick her up her footfalls, but years of practice had taught him to ignore background noises, lest he go crazy from the continual distractions.

"Hey, Smallville," Lois purred, sidling up behind his chair. "Whatcha workin' on? Another fluff piece about Wonder-Babe? That was a really hard-hitting interview by the way. Next time we'll put a disclaimer around it, then let the makers of saccharine sponsor it."

"Another Port Authority corruption article," he replied over his shoulder, tapping away. "What are you doing here? In town to regale us with another story about the lifestyles of the rich and famous?"

"Whoa!" Lois exclaimed. "Smallville finally fights back for a change. What brought that on? Too much coffee?"

Clark whipped around in his chair, then leaned in to stare at her. "Some of us are honestly a little tired of the Gotham dilettante routine, Lois. You drop in once a month, tell us all about your great new lifestyle, but you're a little short when it comes to asking us about how our lives are going, aren't you? With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

Lois didn't say a word, but the tear that formed in the corner of her eye told Clark that his accusation had hit a little too close to home. "I didn't mean…" she started.

"…to ignore the little people you left behind when you started making regular appearances at photo ops for the society pages?" he growled.

Lois was stunned. "Is that what this is about? My God, Clark. Are you jealous?"

"Not jealous," Clark replied. "Just sick and tired of being treated like a second class citizen by somebody I thought was my friend."

"I am your friend." Lois protested. "I still don't understand what I've done wrong."

Clark stared long at her, deliberating if there was something more he wanted to tell her, but he turned around, withholding whatever was bothering him from her. "Don't you have another black-tie auction to attend? I've got to get this article finished for Perry."

Speechless, Lois left the room. She paused at the elevator vestibule, debating about whether to make amends with her colleague, then thought better of it.

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Diana was still getting used to the equipment in front of her when a priority message came into the Monitor Womb. The LCD informed her the call was coming from Green Lantern.

"Yes, Lantern?" she called, switching on the comm link.

"Flash and I have got a situation here," his agitated voice piped in. "There's been a containment breach of a reactor core here in Central City. It's overpowering my ring, I can't…"

The line went dead.

"Lantern! Do you read me?" Diana barked into the comm link, but there was no reply.

She punched up the coordinates of Central City into the scanners, however there was no city evident on the monitors. Only a residual energy signature remained. Hawkgirl and J'onn joined her a moment later after Diana paged the two remaining stand-by members, and the three of them puzzled over the read-outs.

Batman's image suddenly appeared on the monitor a moment later. The stalagmites hanging in the background were an easy give to his location. "Diana, I've been monitoring the situation. There's another location in Africa evidencing the same energy signature as Central City. The two have to be connected."

"Meet you in Central City, or in Africa."

"Lantern and Flash can handle whatever's happening in Central City. Let's try Africa."

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Diana warmed up the Javelin auxiliary power units while J'onn and Hawkgirl had strapped themselves in next to, and behind her, respectively. She experienced a quick moment of doubt about her piloting skills, but Batman had assured her after an hour of pilot instruction that she was ready to solo.

She admitted feeling a smug sense of satisfaction that she'd learned how to fly the craft faster than the rest of her teammates. J'onn and Hawgirl took a few minutes longer than Diana, but she attributed the differences mostly to their physiology, not their skill. Of course, Diana didn't admit to the fact that she'd grown up flying a similar plane – the Invisible Jet – back on Themyscira.

As Batman had instructed, she let the computer handle most of the departure from the Watchtower and the subsequent descent into the stratosphere over Africa. If J'onn or Hawkgirl were worried, neither of them showed any signs of agitation.

The sensors indicated they were nearing their destination, however a proximity warning light flashed on with the target still a few miles away.

"Collision alarm," Diana noted. "Brace yourselves."

"There's nothing on the scanners," J'onn pointed out.

"Batman built this plane," Diana replied, reefing the plane into a hard left turn. "Do you want to be the one to tell him he's wrong?"

The Javelin had nearly completed its turn but the forward momentum was still too fast for the turn to fully compensate. The three of them winced as a sickening groan rattled through the hull. The right wing bashed itself across the outer rim of a force field for a few seconds, and then they were clear.

J'onn peered back through the canopy toward the wing. The lateral stabilizer evidenced a great deal of damage, however the Javelin was still airworthy.

"Your faith in Batman's engineering skills seems to be well founded." J'onn murmured.

"Nice job," Hawkgirl added. "You saved the plane."

Diana deftly maneuvered the plane into hover mode, then brought the plane down gently, landing in an open meadow next to the Batwing. Batman was patiently waiting for them, leaning against the fuselage. His face blanched when he saw the mangled wreckage of the stabilizer, and glanced sideways at Diana when she walked down the ramp.

"I take it the Watchtower is still in orbit?" he muttered dryly. "Bump the hangar doors on the way out?"

Diana scowled back at him. "There's a force field protecting whatever we're here to see. How did you avoid it?"

"Proximity alarm system," he noted smugly. "It helps if you listen to it."

"I did…" Diana protested angrily, color rising in her cheeks, then she shut up before he could goad her any further as their comm. links suddenly came back on-line, with Lantern's desperate voice clearly audible.

"Green Lantern to all points. Can you read me?"

"We're here, John." Hawkgirl answered quickly. "What's your situation?"

The words had hardly left her mouth before the entire horizon suddenly shimmered. Where a mountain had previously been visible, a huge city suddenly stood in its place. That alone was shocking, however the appearance of a squad of armed gorillas riding hover-bikes towards their position left them momentarily speechless.

"You're not going to believe this," Lantern's voice started. "But a bad guy named Grodd has taken over Central City and the ICBM base outside of the city. He just fired four missiles towards Africa. I'm chasing them down, but I don't know if I'll be able to catch them all in time."

"This Grodd by any chance a really smart gorilla?" Batman asked.

"How did you guess?" Lantern replied, bewildered.

"Because we're parked outside a city filled with them." Batman murmured. He turned to face his three companions. "Give me some air support now. I'll vector you up to the missiles."

A thousand miles away, Lantern used his ring to neatly cut out the guidance system from the nearest missile. He attempted the same feat on the next missile, however his aim wasn't quite as steady and the missile detonated in the stratosphere. Lantern's ring protected him from the worst effects, however the blast wave knocked him off his intercept course. As he plunged towards the ground, stunned, he managed to warn his teammates of two more incoming missiles.

Seated in the Javelin, Batman used the craft's radar system to plot an intercept course for his teammates. "Diana, Hawkgirl. Incoming from the north-west at Mach Three. Steer a course of 300 degrees, stagger at Angels twenty and fifteen…forty-five degree separation. J'onn, 290 degrees, Angels twenty-five."

"Angels twenty?" Diana asked blankly as she and Hawgirl rapidly gained altitude, looking for the incoming warhead.

"Twenty thousand feet," Hawkgirl answered casually, then doubled her speed when her sharp eyesight spied the incoming missile. "I'll take high, you stay low."

Three miles away, J'onn gained speed and altitude at his assigned vector, then phased through the incoming missile, neatly removing the warhead's nuclear trigger as he emerged from the other side.

Hawkgirl had no such luxury as the missile approached her, smashing the center casing with her energy mace when it flew by. A mile below, Diana watched with delight then horror as the missile separated into three pieces. The largest, containing the warhead, was still intact and on course, fueled only by the remaining inertia the booster rocket had provided.

Diana met the warhead at fifteen thousand feet, debated about whether to bash the warhead with her fist, then realized the resulting blast would consume her and the city below. Her only alternative was to brake the warhead's descent and hope her teammates would come to her aid. She placed both hands on the warhead and pushed, but the effects were negligible. At five thousand feet she started to feel a drop in her rate of descent, but she had a sick feeling that it wasn't going to be enough.

"Hera, give me strength!" she yelled, then sighed in relief as J'onn appeared out of nowhere a moment later, phasing out the other side with the nuclear trigger in his hand. A second later, she hit the ground, pinned beneath the missile as the deadweight of the warhead buried into the soil.

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Batman watched with dread as the remaining warhead plummeted towards the city. His eyes flashed with horror when he realized that Diana was still pushing against the nosecone, trying to deflect the missile's trajectory.

The missile hit the surface and burrowed into ground a hundred meters away from the Javelin. He leapt out of the canopy then sprinted to the crater the impact had created.

"Diana." Batman shouted with alarm, racing down the path of freshly turned soil. Arriving at the crumpled casing for the warhead, Batman frantically searched for any trace of the Amazon. Finding none, he started burrowing through the soil with his bare hands, desperately trying to reach her.

J'onn arrived a moment later, followed by Hawkgirl and a crowd of upright simbians talking quietly amongst themselves. Judging by the expression on their faces, the apes were obviously intelligent and they glanced appreciatively at the team of heroes. J'onn took a quick glance at the apes, briefly pondering the mystery of their evolution, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

He placed a calming hand on Batman's shoulder, signaling him to stop digging. Batman ignored him, clawing through the dirt for another minute before finally giving up. Resigned, he accepted a hand-up to leave the crater when the ground suddenly rumbled behind him. The warhead and casing suddenly lifted out of the crater, then Diana stood up, heaving the weight of the casing over her head, then deftly tossed it aside.

Batman stared open-mouthed, amazed that she'd survived, then turned away. Quietly, he sidled up next to Hawkgirl, pretending that he'd been a spectator all along. The Thanagarian allowed a small grin, trying not to embarrass him by noticing his dirt-covered hands. Diana joined them, standing on Batman's right side while J'onn stood next to Hawkgirl, staring at the apes in amazement.

The crowd of apes suddenly cheered them, thanking the lot of them for saving their city from certain destruction. Diana waved to the crowd, then peeked over at Batman. His hands were covered with dirt, and she grinned with understanding that it was his hands which she'd heard digging while she was pinned underneath the warhead. Batman caught her stare, and quietly slipped the gauntlets beneath his cape so she couldn't see them anymore.

On impulse, Diana leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then choked back a laugh as he reddened with embarrassment, turning away from her so she couldn't see his face.

Hawkgirl and J'onn exchanged glances but didn't say a word, then Lantern arrived a moment later to debrief them on the events of Central City.

Diana nodded attentively as Lantern filled them in, but her focus wandered when she realized Batman had slipped away. She stared at the Batwing as it roared overhead, disappearing toward the horizon.

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	7. Chapter 6 Kinetic Energy

A-Note: Thanks for the feedback. It's kind of fun to see the two camps pulling for different relationships. I'm glad you guys feel democratic enough to express your leanings, just as I feel despotic enough to tell you that you don't get to vote :).

**Chapter 6 – Kinetic Energy**

"So Wayne and this reporter friend of his appear to be pretty serious."

"It certainly looks that way, Mr. Savarino."

"After he screwed us out of that dockyard reclamation contract, it might be fun to send him a message," the man mused, venom evident in his voice. "But the Manor is pretty well protected. Maybe we can send him a message…thru her."

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Diana awoke with a start, then reached out to explore the other side of the bed. Her instincts had served her well, as Superman - Clark as she now cautiously called him behind closed doors – had surreptitiously slipped out of the bed.

Again.

Sitting up, she groaned in frustration, then looked at the clock. Four a.m. 'This can't be happening,' she thought, rubbing her temples to relieve the oncoming headache. 'We see each other maybe once a month, we don't even get to go out on real dates, and now he can't even spend the night?'

"Hera, help me," she muttered, then swung her feet out of the bed, heading towards the bathroom. Ordinarily she'd be naked at this point – she preferred to sleep in the buff – but the last few times she'd come to Clark's apartment, she'd brought along a comfortable pair of pajamas in her overnight bag. The fact the clothing unconsciously represented a new barrier between them didn't occur to her, or if it did, Diana didn't want to dwell on it.

Though it was pitch black in the room, she didn't bother to turn on a light. Clark's apartment in Metropolis served as their refuge from the real world when they wanted to see each other – the public spectacle they made as Superman and Wonder Woman was too much for either of them to take – so early on in their relationship she'd familiarized herself with the layout.

She stepped into the bathroom to make a quick pee stop. The cool sensation of porcelain on her butt sent a cold shiver down her spine. Diana debated whether to slip on his bathrobe to ward off the chill, then dismissed the thought quickly.

Early in their relationship, she'd enjoyed the feeling of his robe wrapped tightly around her body. It quickly became a pattern as she'd started borrowing his t-shirts to wear around the apartment. Once, she'd even pulled on a pair of (clean) boxer shorts once to see how they looked on her. While they were comfortable, Diana thought they made her butt look too big. At a shade over six feet tall, a primitive part of Diana initially responded to the fact that Clark's large frame - and clothing – provided a sense of comfort in Man's World.

Comfort, even cold comfort, was a precious and rare thing for Diana. She was still reeling from the shock of her exile from Themyscira by her mother's decree, as well as the culture shock she'd experienced living in Man's World. Working side by side with five men - one of whom she was dating – had also proved more difficult than she originally anticipated.

As the League had settled into a regular routine of rotating shifts, Diana had hoped to befriend Hawkgirl, the mysterious Thanagarian who divulged few details about her own background, as a fellow 'sister' in the League. Unfortunately, the auburn-haired warrior was even less familiar with the culture and accepted practices of Man's World. Oddly enough to Diana, Hawkgirl showed no interest in acclimating to the culture. Given her wings, she had a point, as there was no easy way to pass herself off as a civilian.

Early on, Diana had turned to Superman to help fill that void. He'd been a source of wisdom and guidance for some things, but his own tribulations during the previous year had caused him to become more guarded. The comfort that he offered usually revolved around sex. While she enjoyed that aspect of their relationship, Diana still ached for the connection to family – to the sisterhood – that she'd grown up with on Themyscira.

At four in the morning, the part of her that still ached for the comfort he had provided was quickly overruled by the fiercely independent part of her that cursed Superman for putting her in the awkward position of feeling like an unwanted guest.

Making her way into the kitchen, Diana allowed a quick thought about that, then loaded the coffee maker. The physical aspect of their relationship played a dominant, maybe pervasive, role. It made sense. She was raised as a warrior, and Superman represented the ultimate warrior in Man's World.

The first time she'd watched him through the Oracle's scrying glass, Diana had reveled in his awesome displays of strength and power. Raised in proximity to the Olympian Gods, Superman fit well with her ideals of how the perfect man should look, and what kind of power he should possess. Growing up, a part of Diana had always wondered how Herakles had managed to bed her mother so quickly. Now in Man's World – sleeping with a being with God-like powers - she related much better to the feeling of lust her mother must have felt coursing through her veins when Zeus's son arrived on the Themysciran shores.

In retrospect, Diana wondered if she'd missed some of the warning signs early on when she'd started dating Superman. As a warrior, she knew that aggression was often rewarded, and the previous men in her life had made no secret of their carnal desire for her. It was base…primitive, but raised in the isolation of Themyscira, she accepted their lust at face value. Taught by her mother to treat men diffidently – and never to offer her trust - Diana didn't complicate their lust by making more of it than it was.

She'd heard the stories some of her 'aunts' told around the campfires as a child. The saga involving her mother and Hades wasn't told often, but regardless of the consequences of Hippolyta's actions, the tribe still viewed that relationship with a particular reverence. Diana knew the pain that Hades treachery had caused her mother, but after her initial forays into sex proved ambivalent, Diana wondered if there was something missing, something more than just the physical connection.

She'd hoped that Clark represented a different type of man than the ones she'd known, but history had proved to be an unwelcome guide yet again. The Ancients tended to be of a fiery, passionate temperament. Clark was more subdued, prone to react to a situation rather than be proactive.

Oddly, Superman's sexual performance mirrored his battle performance. During her visits to his apartment, Superman made a point of acting like a perfect gentleman, displaying impeccable manners, holding out her chair, always finding something polite to say about other team members when the topic of conversation managed to veer that way.

As a passionate creature, both with her opinions and her desires, Diana was not one who suffered fools gladly. His diplomatic nature irritated her passionate side on many levels.

Diana longed for the moment where Superman would just take her upon arrival, not bothering with meaningless platitudes or courtesies. She'd routinely surprised Superman and other members of the League with her aggressive views and militant actions, preferring action over diplomacy in most cases. Only Hawkgirl was more militant in her approach. The fact that the two female members proved to be the most aggressive warriors in the League provided a source of continuing source of comic relief for the men.

During a quiet moment at dinner one night a few months after they'd started dating, Superman had commented on the fact that Diana's militancy made him feel uncomfortable on a number of occasions. Her eyes lit up with anger, and the tension that admission had created suddenly represented an unassailable barrier between the two of them. Their dinners, once companionable get-togethers which usually culminated in athletic sex, quickly turned listless as they desperately searched for topics where they held aligned opinions.

As the coffee maker started dripping, Diana admitted with a wry smile that as a couple, she and Clark did work in some odd ways.

Diana didn't mind that she had been the one to initiate the pursuit. She was a Princess after all, and she'd grown up accustomed to the requirements of leadership. She'd been taught that bold decisions were required of leaders, and Diana had grown up having sisters respond to her wishes. While Clark was the strongest being that she'd ever met, Diana was somewhat disappointed that his personality proved rather mild. As they'd gotten to know each other, Diana learned she'd bedded more of a Kansas farmer than a hardened warrior seeking battle. She respected his preference for diplomacy, but in her mind, there were too many instances where his passive approach endangered his teammates, placing them unnecessarily in the path of jeopardy.

She speculated that perhaps it was due to the fact that he possessed so much power that Clark chose the opposite path when it came to displaying it. After the League had formed, other members quietly criticized Superman for taking too many punches and not unleashing his full power on their foes until the situation turned desperate.

Earlier that evening, Batman had coldly commented on that very fact after the Manhunters – an army of cyborgs (originally created and later discarded due to their intransigence by the Guardians) - had come to Earth to retrieve Green Lantern. The Manhunters stated their purpose of retrieving Lantern was in order to stand trial for a crime he'd supposedly committed on Aduris-Five. The League had fought the Manhunters to a draw until Lantern had interceded, then he'd shocked them all by agreeing to become the Manhunters prisoner.

They'd ultimately pursued Lantern and uncovered evidence that not only exonerated him, but also showed that the Manhunters had created the distraction to pull the Green Lantern Corps away from Oa. The League and the Corps barely arrived in time to intercept the invading army of Manhunters poised on the doorway to the Central Battery. It took their combined power, supplemented by the defensive shield created by the Guardians, to defeat the cyborgs.

After the Oa mission, during the after action review – a practice Batman had insisted on in order to improve the League's performance – Batman critiqued Superman's performance during the initial battle.

"One blast of heat vision in the first ten seconds of that fight, and Lantern would never have left the Earth."

"Go to hell," Superman replied. J'onn intervened between the two of them before it turned ugly, but Superman was shocked when Diana agreed with Batman's observation.

Later that evening, when Superman and Diana returned to his apartment, Superman was still agitated that she'd sided with Batman. He went to bed early, without inviting her to join him, and had even emphasized his anger by slamming the door. Diana had watched television for an hour, then finally crawled into bed with him.

As the light on the coffee maker shone red, Diana rummaged thru the refrigerator in search of some cream to add to the generous spoonful of sugar she'd already added to her cup. As usual, Clark didn't have any cream, and she was forced to use the low-fat milk he preferred.

Diana hated low-fat milk.

She wondered if their disagreements were solely responsible for their current predicament or if the guilt she carried about her actions on what Lantern later dubbed the 'Savage Time' mission contributed in any way. The mission had started out as a routine diplomatic mission for the League – less Batman – had accepted an invitation from the new government established on Antares-Three. On their way back, Flash had steered the Javelin too close to a white dwarf star's gravity well. The Javelin had escaped intact, but the strain on the engines burned out a component in the power-plant.

Courtesy of his ring, Lantern had towed them back to Earth at his maximum speed of Warp Four. Somehow, the combination of Lantern's ring or their speed ultimately shielded them from a change in the time continuum on Earth.

Upon arrival, the team was shocked to find the Watchtower missing and the Earth overtaken by a despot named Vandal Savage. On the surface, the League found that Batman and a renegade band of rebels had formed a resistance movement. Batman had no memory of them or the League, having grown up in a world where his parents were murdered at Savage's order. The League subsequently stormed Savage's hideout and found a time machine he'd used to send back technology to his former self in 1944.

With no other choice but to jump back in time and undo the damage Savage had caused, the six members had arrived in Normandy just as D-Day got underway. Superman, Hawkgirl, Lantern and Flash helped the Allies establish a beachhead, repulsing a Nazi counter-attack aided by weapons at least two generations ahead of their time.

Diana and J'onn headed for Berlin to find Savage. During their journey, the two were separated fighting a wave of Luftwaffe fighters intent on shooting down one of their own. Coming to the ejecting pilot's aid, Diana ultimately helped Steve Trevor, a handsome American spy, obtain an encrypted communications relay Savage used to coordinate his attacks.

Trevor had been intercepted by the Luftwaffe on his way to meet a double-agent who possessed the relay. While Diana waited with Trevor at a pre-established rendezvous point - a small country chalet - he'd surprised her by preparing a quick fare of fois gras and champagne. Moments later, he'd shocked her by taking her in his arms on the couch where they were sitting, passionately enveloping her in his embrace. That she'd kissed back had amazed her, and Diana had later realized that only the appearance of the double agent had prevented their embrace from going any further.

In Berlin, J'onn subsequently found Savage and the laptop computer he'd received from his future self filled with weapons design schematics. After defeating Savage, the team had returned to the future. They were relieved to find the Watchtower back in orbit, with the timeline unchanged. Batman had no recollection of the mission at all.

Feeling somewhat guilty about her behavior in France, Diana had cancelled her date with Clark that night without offering an explanation. Two quiet weeks had passed before they'd both freed their schedules to arrange a night together. That date had been interrupted by the Manhunters invasion and the subsequent mission to Oa.

Whatever was wrong with the two of them, Diana was more infuriated about the fact that Clark had gone on patrol at four in the morning, leaving her alone in his bed. His excuses about 'needing some fresh air' or 'going to clear my head for awhile' weren't going to sit with her anymore. She was determined to confront him one way or another.

She didn't have long to wait. A breeze suddenly swirled through the room, sending the napkin she was using flying onto the floor.

Superman stepped from the balcony into the apartment a moment later.

"Out for another early morning patrol?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Couldn't sleep," he replied with a shrug.

"If you don't want me here, I certainly understand," Diana continued, staring past him at the open door. "I don't want to cramp your lifestyle."

"You're not cramping my lifestyle," Superman replied mechanically, closing the door. He leaned against the glass, unconsciously standing farther away from her than when he'd entered the room.

"Does the fact that I agreed with Batman during the after-action review not sit well with you?" Diana asked.

"It really has nothing to do with him and everything to do with us," Superman replied, slipping off his boots and cape. "You and I just handle things differently, that's all."

"I am a warrior, Clark. I can't apologize for who I am."

"I'm not asking for an apology," he replied. "It just takes some getting used to on my part. I like things simple. Black and white. Good versus evil. Your methods are more complicated."

"I fail to see how destroying the Manhunters would have complicated anything. In fact, it would have spared us a two-day mission to Oa."

"I have to hold back, Diana." Clark argued. "You saw what I was capable of when I led Darkseid's army. Since then, I've vowed only to use enough force to get the job done. No more, no less."

"It's pretty hard to slay the dragon when you've dropped your sword on the ground," Diana replied rhetorically. "Batman was right. The Manhunters arrived here unannounced and when confronted peacefully about their intentions, responded by assaulting the League. Instead of responding with an escalation of force to drive them away, YOU basically let them off the hook by fighting them to a stalemate instead of destroying them. Why?"

"If you agree with Batman so much, why don't you ask him out?" Superman snapped. He'd immediately regretted saying the words, and held up his hand as if to offer an apology, but Diana was too angry to let him off the hook.

"I thought this wasn't about him!" she replied, furious, then took a deep breath and moderated her tone. "You have to let go of what Darkseid did to you. I understand it was traumatic, but you're allowing Darkseid a small victory each time you hold back."

"You just don't understand what I lost that day," Superman replied, searching her eyes.

"Then help me to understand," Diana replied, taking a step forward as a gesture.

"If you don't understand by now, then you never will." He replied lamely, then looked at the clock in the kitchen. "I have to go. I promised J'onn I'd help align some of the power conduits on the Watchtower before I head to work."

Diana watched him fly away in shock, amazed that he'd left her standing alone in his apartment again. Angrily, she punched a hole in his kitchen table, splintering the wood. Diana winced with regret, but rationalized that it was better than punching him. She debated her next plan of action, then stepped into the shower, reasoning that the hot water might help clear her head.

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"What are you thinking?" Lois whispered. She was lying contentedly next to Bruce in her bedroom, having realized it was easier for Batman to drop in at three in the morning then to wake up early to drive out to the Manor. It was a compromise that made her uncomfortable, but she'd resigned herself to it.

'It wasn't that bad,' she thought with a wry grin. After all, the early part of the evening HAD involved dinner and dancing at the Iceberg Lounge. The fact that Bruce chose that restaurant so he could surreptitiously perform surveillance on Penguin – a well-known black market arms dealer from Slovenia was sitting at his table - while romancing her at the same time did not escape her notice, but a few distracted whirls around the dance floor were better than she usually got, so she settled.

A scowl crossed her mouth as she thought about that.

She hated settling.

Puzzled, Bruce looked at her, trying to remember what she'd originally asked him. Finally, his memory processed the question, and he raised an eyebrow in concern. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise," she emphasized with a snort.

"I'm trying to develop a new polymer that will graft onto the kevlar we use in our uniforms. The nomex weave is fireproof, but it really chafes."

Her jaw dropped in amazement, then a grin curled on her lips. "Oh, Bruce. You really know how to make such sweet pillow talk after sex. Haven't you ever heard of romancing a girl… just a little?" She bashed him playfully with a pillow to make her point.

"Dinner and dancing not enough anymore? Some girls are never happy."

"Am I just 'one of the girls'? Another notch in the ol' utility belt?"

"You're the only one who knows about my other activities. Isn't that special enough?"

"You can put Pandora back in that particular box and lock it tight if you want," she replied, expression tightening slightly, but she forced a grin, trying not to make things too serious. "So it's okay if you want to lie to me when I ask you what you're thinking. Tell me I have great boobs, anything that doesn't sound Batmanish."

He considered her request carefully, then pulled back the sheet to expose her naked form.

"You DO have great boobs."

"How do they compare to Wonder-Babe's?"

"Do you REALLY want to go there?"

"So you've noticed she's got big knockers?" Lois asked, savoring his discomfort. "Did the legendary Batman lose control for once and allow himself a glance at that canyon of cleavage?"

"Give me a break!" Bruce growled, dramatically slumping back onto the bed. "Does it really matter?"

"It's okay if your blood runs a little hot when she's in the room," Lois observed, but the smirk had vanished from her face. "Just as long as you come home to me."

"Thanks, but you don't have anything to worry about. She's off the market anyway. She's been dating Superman since she joined the League – or didn't he tell you?"

She said nothing, but even in the darkened room, her eyes betrayed her surprise.

"So he didn't?" Bruce prodded, savoring the moment. "Our favorite Kryptonian hasn't been providing full disclosure at your evening rendezvous lately?"

"You know about those?" she asked coolly, but her eyes flashed her surprise and her voice showed her bitterness. "Keeping an eye on me?"

"I make it a practice to find out what's going on in my life." He replied. "Batman has enemies, but so does Bruce Wayne. Besides, you have a history of getting into trouble doing the research for those little corruption exposes you like to write. Without him to look after you all the time, I took that responsibility for myself."

"If you've been keeping such close tabs on me, then you also know that nothing happened." Lois said. "I stopped seeing him when I realized it wasn't fair to you."

"It was a damn sight easier to stop seeing him once he stopped returning your calls," Bruce noted. "Did he even protest when you stopped seeing him?"

"Come to think of it, he didn't." Lois admitted, searching her memory. "But now I've got an even bigger problem to deal with. I just found out that you don't trust me, do you?"

"Trust is earned." He replied. "Did you earn my trust, telling me you were staying in Metropolis for an extra night to hang out with your girlfriends, when in reality you were waiting for him to show up on your balcony?"

"I think I have earned your trust, Bruce. Think about it. I haven't published a potentially Pulitzer prize winning article revealing the most speculated secret identity in the world, and you have the gall to ask me that?

"How about the fact you've been using Percocets and Chardonnay as a sleeping potion for the last six months? Do you trust me enough to tell me that?"

"How dare you?" Lois flared.

"I dare, because I care," Bruce replied. "You haven't been taking Percocets for the past few months, by the way. I weaned you off the drugs that first month I joined the League. You've been taking a placebo ever since."

Lois stared at him in shock. For the first time, she realized how far reaching the implications could be, becoming involved with Bruce Wayne. She didn't like her conclusion.

"Get out!"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Diana was surprised to find Batman waiting at the launch bay for the shuttle. The shuttle was housed at an abandoned Air Force Base situated almost halfway between Gotham and Metropolis. Early on, members had agreed to wait until six a.m. Eastern time before departing, lest they end up stranded planet-side until the Javelin, shuttle or Lantern were available to provide transport. Batman had promised delivery of a second shuttle in a few more months, but until then, they were stuck on a schedule.

He was poring over a laptop computer perched on his lap, and didn't acknowledge her presence when she stepped into the small lobby adjacent to the hangar bay.

She cleared her throat to alert him of her presence, but he didn't break his concentration. Diana allowed herself a smile, as lately he was the one man she'd met in Man's World who made an extra effort NOT to notice her.

Settling into a chair across from him in the lobby, she cocked her head, studying him intently. With nothing better to do for the next ten minutes while they waited for any other members to meet the scheduled departure time, Diana decided to pass the time by trying to reconcile the riddle of the man before her – still pointedly ignoring her - with the man who'd passionately embraced her at the lake.

It was more fun trying to solve that particular puzzle than the one that awaited her at the Watchtower.

Not scheduled for duty until that evening, Diana was headed to the Watchtower early, determined to resolve her argument with Clark one way or another.

She stared at Batman, trying to provoke a reaction. He continued typing, irritating her to no end. The silence was killing Diana, broken only by the occasional clack of the keyboard.

Bored, Diana cleared her throat a few times. His eyes finally lifted off the screen for a moment, then he pointed to a water cooler in the corner. "There's water if you're thirsty, Princess."

"So he DOES talk," Diana replied, rolling her eyes. "I thought Bats were nocturnal. Little early to be up, isn't it?"

"Nice to know your royal upbringing included lessons in sarcasm," Batman replied. He looked at the clock over her head. "It doesn't look like anyone else is coming. Ready to go?"

"Sure, who's flying, you or me?"

"You. I have work to do."

They settled into the pilot's chairs and Diana started the pre-flight sequence. Batman strapped himself in, then propped the laptop on the ledge in front of him. Diana glanced at him quickly, then took a deep breath, mentally running thru the pre-flight checklist a second time to make sure she hadn't missed anything. While she hated to admit it, his presence made her nervous. She gripped the yoke in her hands and grimaced when she felt the sweat on her palms.

Diana executed a flawless takeoff out of the hangar, proudly flashing him a glance of triumph as the shuttle clawed through the atmosphere, but he didn't glance her way. She pursed her lips, then decided to make another attempt at conversation.

"What's so important there that you can't even appreciate my perfect take-off?"

"Do you really require positive reinforcement for that?" he replied, still focused on laptop display. "I assumed you'd prefer I didn't point out that you didn't turn on the IFF system. The Air Force is probably scrambling some interceptors our way as we speak, trying to catch a UFO flying across the busiest commercial air corridor in the country."

Diana's face reddened slightly with embarrassment, but she calmly flipped on the IFF button. "Thanks for the warning. Sorry if I scared you."

He stared at her for a moment, a reply forming on his lips, but he said nothing. Diana engaged the autopilot when they reached fifty thousand feet, then leaned back in her chair, stretching. "Now that NORAD is satisfied, do you want to tell me what you're working on?"

"There's been a series of high-tech military equipment sales from the French government to some Balkan warlords during the past few weeks."

"Is that really a surprise?" Diana asked. "From what I've seen, the French enjoy snubbing the U.N. and American authorities whenever they get a chance."

"There's also been a series of equipment thefts in other European countries which match the weapons protocols." Batman mused. "They have to be connected."

"Well, that's why we have you in the League," Diana noted with a smirk. "To find conspiracies in places no one else would think to look."

Batman glowered at her, then turned his attention back to his laptop.

Satisfied that she'd at least finally gotten him to talk, she didn't say another word. The rest of the flight was quiet. Diana kept glancing at him, waiting for him to break the silence this time, but he never said a word.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

After landing in the hangar bay, Batman and Wonder Woman arrived in the Monitor Station. Hawkgirl, J'onn and Superman were working through some routine systems checks. It looked to be an opportune time as planet-side appeared relatively quiet.

Batman walked past the group, foregoing any pleasantries. Diana watched him vanish around a bulkhead, then turned her attention on Superman. He glanced up from the booth where he and Hawkgirl were adjusting the stabilizers, waved a blank greeting, then turned his attention back to the task.

By the blank look on his face, Diana realized Superman had absolutely no clue how mad she was at the moment.

Her temples started to pound. Diana was about to give Superman a piece of her mind in front of the other members, when the red warning lights of the Watchtower started chiming.

Batman rushed to the control station, scanning the sensors. "It's an incoming energy signature," he shouted over the din of the sirens. "But I've never seen anything like it."

Superman looked over his shoulder.

"I have," he said ominously. "Boom Tube."

A circular, white grid of energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the Monitor Womb. Seconds later, Darkseid emerged through the Boom Tube.

"Superman," the despot of Apokilips whispered in greeting. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," Superman shouted, then immediately attacked Darkseid. He landed two furious uppercuts before any of his teammates had batted an eye. The force of his punches reverberated through the space-station. Darkseid didn't fight back, making a point to only defend himself as much as possible.

Batman jumped out of the chair, landing in front of Diana and J'onn. "Stop him before he knocks us out of orbit!"

Alarmed, the two of them looked up as Superman unleashed another series of punches, mercilessly pounding Darkseid in the ribs. The Apokiliptan crumpled to a knee. Superman cocked his right arm into a fist, however J'onn pinned his arm before he could throw the punch. Diana took hold of his left arm a moment later, holding him back.

"Let me go!" Superman shouted, eyes blazing with fury.

"I require only a minute of your time." Darkseid replied, crawling to his feet. "It involves the legacy of Krypton."

"You have a minute," J'onn said, still straining to keep Superman from tearing Darkseid into small pieces. "No more."

"I thought the last survivor of Krypton was here in this room, but I was wrong," Darkseid started. "Yesterday, a spaceship of unknown origin invaded Apokilips. The one who calls himself Brainiac immediately unleashed an attack on my homeworld. As we speak, he's downloading the archives of our central computer. When he's finished with that, he'll destroy the planet. We are defenseless against his power. Millions will die."

"Good," Superman spat. "Let them."

"You can't mean that!" Hawkgirl whispered, amazed at the unbridled fury of her teammate.

"If you want the legacy of Krypton to result in the destruction of Apokilips and every other planet in this quadrant, fine." Darkseid stated, then flung a mother box at Superman's feet. "Otherwise I'll expect your rescue shortly."

Moments later, Darkseid triggered his own mother box, and disappeared into the boom tube behind him.

Diana and J'onn released their grips on their teammate. He looked at them with disdain, angry that he'd been denied the opportunity to finish off Darkseid.

"So when do we leave?" J'onn asked.

"What? You can't be serious!" Superman shouted. "You don't know anything about him."

"We know he used you..." Batman intoned, approaching Superman until they stood eye to eye. "…Humiliated you. Wound you up like a toy and set you against Earth. But if he's right, and Brainiac is attacking in this quadrant again, I suggest you GET OVER IT!"

Superman stared hard back at the Dark Knight. A number of responses formed on his lips. In his opinion, all were inappropriate to utter in front of the two women members, so he finally relented. "Fine. We'll do it your way. But you're going to have to do something for me in return."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The Javelin emerged out of hyperspace an hour after Darkseid had departed through the boom tube at an altitude of two hundred miles above Apokilips. Superman gripped the controls, not bothering to glance at the scene below. As first-time visitors, J'onn and Hawkgirl curiously peered through the canopy, then both recoiled in horror when they realized the extent of the firepits and the terror they inspired on that planet's populace.

Descending through the atmosphere at the maximum speed the Javelin could take, Superman leveled the craft out a mile above the surface, looking for their quarry. It didn't take long to locate Brainiac's spaceship. It was a duplicate of the one Superman had destroyed five years before when Brainiac first attempted to conquer Earth. Superman had destroyed that spaceship from the inside, however he knew all too well the immense power the ship was capable of displaying.

Darkseid's ground forces were finding out firsthand the extent of Brainiac's power, as the Apokiliptan artillery wasn't making a dent in Brainiac's shields. All airborne attacks were repulsed by the laterally mounted plasma cannons.

Superman quickly judged the situation, then decided to make one pass over Brainiac's ship. J'onn and Hawkgirl gripped their armrests a little tighter when Superman brought them in level with the spaceship, hurtling towards it with the seeming intent of a suicide attack. At the last second, Superman unleashed a volley from the Javelin's plasma cannons, then pulled the ship into a vertical climb.

As he suspected, Brainiac's shields were undamaged, so he pulled the Javelin into hover mode, then landed the ship next to a command post Darkseid had established on a hilltop overlooking the spaceship.

Darkseid barely looked up at them as they disembarked from the Javelin. "What are you waiting for?" Darkseid snarled, pointing at the target.

"Well, okay," Superman replied, sarcasm evident in his expression. "But only because you asked nicely."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Lois reached down and picked up the phone on her desk for the fourth time in as many minutes. The last three times, she'd slammed the phone down before dialing, but this time was different.

She quickly punched in the number that she'd committed to memory months before, then her heart skipped a beat when she heard the ring on the other end of the line.

"Be there," Lois whispered, desperate to hear his voice.

Her stomach lurched when she heard the pre-recorded feminine voice inform her that the number was no longer in service.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Diana and Batman emerged from the boom tube on New Genesis in a meadow that somewhat resembled the countryside in Normandy. As Diana took a moment to enjoy the view, she spied a quick movement in her peripheral vision, turning in time to help Batman from collapsing to the ground. The boom tube technology obviously had a detrimental affect on his physiology, but Diana couldn't tell how serious the effects were. She debated rolling back the cowl, but he put his hand over hers before she could roll back the material to see his face.

"That was fun," he muttered, returning to his feet with her help.

They looked up at the floating city the New Gods called home, hovering a mile above them.

"Do we really need to be here?" she wondered, amazed by the sight of the floating city.

"On a conflict of this magnitude, we'll need all the help we can get." Batman assured her, then stared hard at their destination, towering over them.

"I'm going to need a longer grapple."

Diana smirked at his lame attempt at humor, then pressed against him. Wrapping her right arm around his waist, she lifted the two of them off the ground. She shuddered inwardly, as it was the first time she'd physically been this close to him since he'd kissed her on Themyscira. She couldn't help but notice how comfortable his arm felt, draped over her own, with his hand perched on her hip. It felt nice, but she didn't have time to savor the moment as a shadow suddenly flashed over them.

"You're not bugs," a strange voice rang out, then Diana felt a hand lightly smack her on the rear end. A humanoid wearing a white body suit flew past them, goading Diana to follow. Clutching Batman tightly against her, she followed the perpetrator around the city, weaving in and out of the spires and alleyways in pursuit.

Without a word, Batman shrugged out of her grip as they passed over a bridgeway between two buildings, then cut an intercept path across the span as she continued her airborne pursuit. As she rounded the building again, a satisfied smile crossed her face as Batman had snared the offender in his cape. The New God struggled to free himself, but the Dark Knight held him tightly.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Diana started, still angry about his lack of manners.

"No, you certainly won't," a new voice rang out behind them. "What do you think you're doing with Lightray?"

They turned and found they were face to face with Orion and the other New Gods.

"We need your help." Diana replied as Batman released the New God.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"So she follows the same routine every day?" the larger man asked from the shadows.

"Pretty much," his wiry companion replied, leafing through his notes. "Makes the two-block walk from her condo to work, does research at her office until lunch. Grabs a hot dog or a sandwich from the sidewalk vendor, then has a driver owned by the Planet take her around for interviews. Wraps up at six, then heads to the Spektrum Club for a workout after that. Makes the three block walk back to her condo, then that's it, unless she goes out for a late dinner."

"So we snag her on the way back from the gym, make it look like an incidental mugging, but send Wayne a message he can understand, right?"

"Right," the man chuckled. "Can you believe she used to date Superman?"

"I thought that whole thing was overblown. You know reporters. They ain't afraid to embellish a little here or there if it sells more papers."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Superman braced himself, then climbed into the skies above Apokilips. Gaining speed and momentum, he collided with the energy shield protecting Brainiac's ship. Pounding against it with his fists, the energy matrix supporting the shield buckled, then a two-meter wide opening suddenly appeared in the shield. Superman wedged his frame into the opening, straining to widen the gap, then shouted "NOW!"

A thousand meters below, Darkseid personally leveled a plasma cannon, centering the sights of the weapon on Superman's head. It was an inviting target, but he moved the weapon slightly, then discharged the projectile.

The energy from the cannon passed by Superman through the hole he'd created, then impacted on the undercarriage of Brainiac's ship. The entire shield protecting the vessel suddenly collapsed, and the Apokiliptan artillery surrounding the ship unleashed a broadside on the flanks of the spaceship.

Huge holes suddenly opened up along the length of the spaceship. Internal, secondary explosions started to cause their own damage. One blast sent Superman hurtling towards the ground. Hawkgirl dove after him, trying to catch before he smashed into a rocky outcropping. She managed to deflect his fall enough to avoid the rocks, but they still impacted on the adjacent ground with a thud.

Realizing there was no hope to download the entire Apokiliptan archive, Brainiac moved the ship above the artillery, rapidly gaining altitude. Seconds later, the ship left the atmosphere, heading to destinations unknown.

"What are you waiting for?" Darkseid growled, staring at Superman and Hawkgirl, still stunned from their plunge to the ground. "Follow him!"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Brainiac's spaceship was damaged, but even with the engines screaming past redline, the Javelin was hard-pressed to gain any ground on the larger ship. Twenty-five parsecs later, Superman dropped the Javelin out of warp neatly behind Brainiac. He opened fire with the plasma cannons but an asteroid appeared out of nowhere. The inert rock absorbed the blasts, shattering into smaller pieces. Superman swung the ship around the debris-field, then set chase once again.

The smoking ship came to view in front of the Javelin's nose as Superman lined up to unleash another volley with the cannons, then the Javelin suddenly lurched as a tractor beam locked onto them. He revved the engines instantly to full power, but the spaceship could not break free.

Superman, J'onn and Hawkgirl worked the controls frantically, looking for a means of escape, but there was nothing they could do. Moments later, the tractor beam pulled them into a crater on a large asteroid. Looking closer, they all gaped with astonishment when they realized the asteroid was actually a space station, fully mechanized but camouflaged.

A dome of energy encapsulated the Javelin after the tractor beam deposited the Javelin in a hangar bay. J'onn watched the atmospheric readings with interest, then told his companions that an oxygen atmosphere had formed in the hangar.

"Let's see what Brainiac has in mind."

They didn't have long to wait. After making a short walk from the hangar bay to a central chamber, they spied Brainiac perched high above them, busily working at a console.

"Greetings, Kal-El," Brainiac intoned metallically. "You are right on time."

"Right on time for this," Hawkgirl screamed, smashing her mace down onto the robot's head. The mace obliterated half the robot's head, leaving a gaping hole in his chest where the mace had finished its arc.

"That was uncalled for," Brainiac said through the remaining half of his head, then collapsed.

"What's the big deal?" Hawkgirl asked J'onn and Superman with a touch of pride, brandishing her weapon over the inert body at her feet.

"That." J'onn replied, pointing to forty more Brainiac replicants emerging from hidden panels in the chamber walls. The three Leaguers gained altitude, then in concert attacked the nearest echelon of approaching robots. They managed to completely destroy the first wave of Brainiacs, but the second wave overwhelmed them. One of the robots managed to level his energy weapon at point blank range on Superman, leaving the Kryptonian reeling on the floor from the blast.

J'onn and Hawkgirl saw their teammate fall. On cue, they immediately started cutting a swath through the robots to come to his aid, but before they managed a rescue, a Boom Tube opened next to them. Darkseid emerged a moment later, triggering his Omega beams their way as soon as he'd materialized. J'onn leapt in front of Hawkgirl to absorb the blow, and the two of them were blown backwards through the floor.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"This isn't Apokilips." Batman observed. He was standing next to Diana, both of them in turn enclosed by an energy field created by Orion's mother-box to sustain them. They'd been traveling in excess of lightspeed since leaving New Genesis a half an hour before. Batman was feeling nauseous as the star systems flew past, but after his earlier display exiting the Boom Tube, he didn't want to display any more weakness to the Amazon Princess.

"No, but Mother Box detects Darkseid's presence," Orion replied, a hint of dismissal in his tone.

Diana shrugged meekly at Batman then offered a smile. It was oddly comforting to Diana to know there was a man with more issues than Batman somewhere in the universe.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Superman awoke with a groan. His head still pounded from the blast he'd received a few minutes before. Anxiously, he checked his surroundings, hoping J'onn and Hawkgirl had escaped. What he saw provided no comfort. Darkseid and Brainiac stood next to a console, obviously working together.

He tried to move his arms and legs but it was useless. Whatever Brainiac had designed to restrain him was working perfectly. Pinned to an apparatus in a crucifix position, he could exert no leverage to free himself.

"I see that you are awake," Brainiac started. "We are ready to begin."

"What is it you have planned this time?"

"I have decided to merge my knowledge and programming with your body," Brainiac replied. "It is logical that the last Kryptonian carry on my legacy."

"What's your role in this, Darkseid?"

"I made a deal," Darkseid shrugged. "Brainiac stopped his invasion of Apokilips in exchange for you."

"We have wasted enough time already," Brainiac replied. "Let it begin."

A huge discharge of energy suddenly surged through Superman's body. It was excruciating as Brainiac's machinery started to disassemble his body at the cellular level. Brainiac slipped into a chair which served as a receptacle for Superman's powers, however the robot noticed too late that Darkseid had attached a Mother Box to the console. A moment later, the console slaved its command routines to the Mother Box, bypassing Brainiac's control.

"What are you doing?" Brainiac whispered, fear evident in his voice.

"Your machinery is a perfect vehicle for the Anti-Life equation," Darkseid replied with a satisfied shrug. "Now, let it REALLY begin."

"I want to resist you, but I am strangely compelled to comply," Brainiac answered.

The power coursing through Superman's body increased exponentially.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

J'onn sat up, groggily shaking the cobwebs out of his brain. Hawkgirl lay crumpled beneath him. He reached down, searching for a pulse, then sighed with relief when she started to stir.

He stood up, crouching as the tunnel Darkseid had blasted with his Omega Beams was barely tall enough to accommodate his height. He helped Hawkgirl to her feet, then the two of them gingerly made their way up to the surface. Peeking his head up through the crater in the floor, J'onn was relieved there wasn't a Brainiac in sight. Seeing no sign of Superman, they searched around the chamber, looking for any clues as to his whereabouts. Their search was interrupted by the far off sound of a scream, unmistakably that of Superman.

They took flight, arriving in the transfer chamber seconds later. The Darkseid-controlled Brainiacs intercepted them before they could free Superman. A battle quickly ensued. Hawkgirl deflected some of the incoming energy blasts with her mace while J'onn phased in and out of the robots, pulling vital circuitry out of the housings.

Darkseid glanced over, satisfied that his captive army was keeping Superman's teammates at bay, then glanced with astonishment when Orion emerged out of a Boom Tube above him. Without a word, the scion of Darkseid landed a crunching blow. The force of the punch sent his genetic father reeling off the platform. Orion discarded his glider, then without a word, plunged over the platform rail in pursuit.

Batman and Diana landed on the platform a moment later. "Cover me," he commanded, desperately searching the console for a means to release Superman from the restraints. Diana quickly positioned herself behind Batman, deflecting energy beams directed their way by the Brainiacs hovering in their area.

Batman intently studied the panel, hoping for a clue of how to operate the alien technology, then finally gave up. He smashed the panel with both hands, then salvoed an explosive batarang at the console when that didn't work. The secondary explosions kicked off by the batarangs had the desired effect, as the restraints released Superman a moment later.

Batamn cringed as the console's explosion started a chain reaction in the chamber, bringing the roof down in increasingly large chunks. He fired a grapple, deftly swinging behind J'onn and Hawkgirl as they finished off the remnants of the Brainiacs. J'onn grabbed Batman by the shoulders, flying him out of the collapsing chamber while Diana and Hawkgirl followed close behind.

The League didn't notice that Superman had flown after Orion and Darkseid until they reached the Javelin.

"Where's Superman?" Batman barked furiously as J'onn powered up the engines. Diana and Hawkgirl looked at him blankly. Batman shook his head. "That idiot," he muttered, then tapped J'onn on the shoulder. "Get going. I'll meet you on New Genesis."

Diana lifted a hand to stop him. Batman tried to shrug away from her grasp, but she quickly secured him to a chair with her lasso. He kicked desperately to escape the chair, but it was too late. She leapt from the entry ramp then remotely closed the exit. J'onn waved to her from the cockpit, then lifted the Javelin off the hangar bay.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"I've been watching your exploits from afar," Darkseid growled, smashing a fist into Orion's semi-conscious face. "But I'm disappointed at the first-hand results. What is it they say, spare the rod…?"

"You're up for a disappointment then as well, I'm afraid." Superman gloated behind him.

Darkseid whipped around, surprised to see the Kryptonian freed from the restraints. "Have you come to receive yet another beating, Kal-El? Don't you ever grow weary of them?"

"This ends here, today." Superman replied confidently as he walked towards Darkseid. He stopped a few feet away, then pivoted deftly to his left, dodging Darkseid's fist. Superman landed a left hook - followed instantly by a sharp right cross - that shook Darkseid's frame to his core. The Apokiliptan buckled. Superman stepped forward to finish him off, but Darkseid regained his footing. He threw an uppercut at Superman's jaw that launched the caped figure across the corridor. Darkseid grinned sadistically, then slammed his foot onto Superman's face, literally grinding him under his heel. He screamed with agony a moment later as Superman's heat vision burned all the way through the top of his boot from below.

Regaining his feet, Superman approached Darkseid cautiously, then launched a series of superspeed punches at Darkseid's ribcage. A series of explosions suddenly tore through the chamber, interrupting his attack. Brainiac's asteroid was enduring its last throes as the engineering and power systems started spewing their contents into the conflagration. The flames started feeding higher, setting off additional explosions. The ground shook again with a thunderous explosion. Unsteady on his feet after Superman's assault, the Apokiliptan crumpled to the ground. Superman picked up a huge piece of wall that had toppled over as a result of the explosions, then smashed it with all his might onto Darkseid's head.

Superman watched with satisfaction as he approached Darkseid to deliver the final, telling blow, but his concentration was interrupted when Diana emerged from a side corridor, searching for him.

"The whole place is going to blow!" she yelled, grabbing him by the arm.

"Get out of here!" Superman yelled back, surprising the Amazon by flinging her across the room. Her backed smashed against a rock wall with surprising force, but she was back on her feet in an instant. She produced a Mother Box from a hook that normally held her lasso, then triggered it while simultaneously launching herself onto Superman's back. He struggled to throw her off, desperate to finish Darkseid, but she wouldn't let go.

The Boom Tube opened behind them, sucking both of them and Orion's unconscious body into its matrix.

Pinned under the pile of debris Superman had smashed over his head, Darkseid could only watch helplessly as the three escaped the imminent explosion, leaving him for dead.

"Loser."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

J'onn had the Javelin's engines throttled into the redline, approaching Warp seven, when Brainiac's asteroid went critical. The resulting blastwave had largely dissipated when they reached New Genesis. When the dropped out of hyperspace, even twenty parsecs away from ground zero, the craft still shook from the turbulence.

Diana and Superman were waiting for them on the planet. The personal physician of the New Gods attended to Orion. He was still unconscious from Darkseid's brutal attack but he wasn't permanently disfigured. The ground shook again from a series of tremors set off by the asteroid's explosion, but each earthquake was smaller than the last.

Batman, J'onn and Hawkgirl ran to their teammates, awed and overjoyed at the fact both of them had survived the explosion. Diana and Superman nodded at them in greeting, but there was an obvious undercurrent of tension between the two that overwhelmed the victory celebration.

Diana pursed her lips in exasperation, but there wasn't anything she could do to rectify the situation. As his confidant and lover, she considered whether to offer some reassurance to Superman that she'd saved his life – not denied him the chance to finish Darkseid once and for all. Given his anxious posture and their recent history, she decided to remain quiet. She didn't feel the need to offer an apology. She walked over to J'onn and Shayera and recounted the events of her escape via the Boom Tube. Batman stood off by himself, his ire still evident that she'd tied him up.

Superman stared into the atmosphere. With his vision, Superman could still see glowing remnants of the explosion light-years away.

"Nobody could have survived that, Clark." Batman murmured with as much assurance as he could muster. "Not even Darkseid."

Superman whipped around defiantly, then angrily leaned in until his face was inches away from the Dark Knight. "Do you know what, Bruce? You're not always right!"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Lois was tired, sweaty and ripe. She'd eaten a garlic and chicken combination for lunch, and the garlic had oozed out of her pores on the stairmaster at the gym for the last hour. She grabbed a towel on the way out, opting to jog the few blocks home and take a bubble bath rather than rinsing off in the communal shower with the other women.

She grabbed her shoulder and garment bags then tried jogging down the street, but one of the straps entangled in her shoelaces. Grunting with frustration, she stopped in front of an alleyway to untangle the mess.

"Hey, lady. What's in the bag?" a deep voice taunted from the shadows. A hulking, brutish figure of a man stepped out of the shadows, brandishing a nine-millimeter semi-automatic. He waved the gun, telling her to step into the shadows. A second man, more wiry in build but with the same ruthless look on his face, waited there.

Lois looked about for some help, but her heart sank when she realized she was alone. Dejected, she stepped into the alleyway, holding her purse in front of her. The smaller man shocked her when he flung the purse casually to the side.

"We don't need your money, Miss Lane," the larger man said. "We just need you to send a message."

"What kind of message?" Lois asked with trepidation, then her eyes went wide with shock when Batman appeared out of nowhere. Swinging from a jump-line, his feet smashed into the larger perpetrator with such force that he flopped onto the pavement twenty yards away. The smaller wiry man immediately unleashed a fusillade from his nine millimeter, but Batman dove to his right, unleashing a batarang that knocked the gun away.

The wiry man looked anxiously for some assistance from his fellow henchman, then blanched when he saw his body laid out cold on the pavement. Desperate, he searched around the pavement, hoping by some miracle that his gun had landed within reach. Batman's fist connected with his jaw before he had another moment to search, then everything went dark.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Cyrus Bosa had grown up inflicting dread and fear among those he knew as well as people he didn't. As a sociopath, he'd never worried about being on the receiving end of someone else's wrath. It wasn't that there weren't larger, more capable thugs in the world. He just truly believed that the world was his, and people were basically playthings to be stabbed, drowned, or shot as he saw fit.

It wasn't until he was hanging upside down in an alleyway with a batarang slicing open the cartilage between his ribs that he had an epiphany about what it meant to be on the receiving end of his punishment.

He didn't like it.

"Who sent you?" Batman growled.

"I just wanted to steal her purse, honest." Cyrus whimpered, then screamed in pain when he felt the batarang slice another rib open.

"Try again. There are twelve ribs on each side. I've only opened two so far. Are you sure you want to walk around Gotham looking like an accordion?"

Cyrus considered his options for a moment, then gave up. "Savarino sent me. Just told me to shake her up a bit as a warning to her boyfriend."

"Tell Savarino - and everyone else in Gotham for that matter – that she is under my protection."

"I thought she dated Superman," Cyrus whispered.

"I'm looking after her during her visit." Batman muttered, then whipped out a laser, cauterizing the wounds he'd inflicted. A minute later, Cyrus Bosa found himself handcuffed to a lamp-pole. Two Gotham police detective picked him up a few minutes later. Both of them had instantly laughed at the large piss-stain on his pants, recognizing it as the signature of Batman's victims.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"Since when does Batman use torture an approved method of interrogation?" Lois snapped, walking into her condominium. "I saw that, you know."

She didn't bother looking to see whether he was there or not. Her instincts, and her experience, told her it took Batman less time to scale the outside of her building than it did for her to ride the elevator up.

He stepped out from behind a support column next to her living room balcony, but didn't say a word.

"Seriously, Bruce. Torture? Why?"

"Those men were sent to rattle you by an enemy of Bruce Wayne. Not Batman," he replied. "I didn't want you to deal with a reoccurrence of that same problem in the future."

"Well, thanks for protecting me," Lois said, throwing her gym bag down on the floor in a huff. "I can take care of myself, you know?"

"Your independence issues are well understood," Batman replied warily, then turned to leave. "Good night, Lois."

"So you're just going to leave without saying another word? Admit it! That was a pretty sadistic thing you did to that man back there. Mugger or not."

"I do what it takes to get the job done." He replied. "I hoped you would have understood that by now."

"I don't know if I'm ever going to understand you, Bruce," Lois whispered.

"That makes two of us," he replied with a touch of regret. He turned and waved goodbye, then jumped off the balcony, disappearing into the night.

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Diana waited patiently in the Watchtower while Superman logged in the last of his notes about the confrontation with Darkseid. He hadn't said a word to anyone, either in the Javelin or in the Watchtower, since they'd left New Genesis some hours before. She heard the computer acknowledge his command to save the information, then approached him quietly from behind. She settled her hands on his neck and shoulders, then without saying a word, starting kneading the knotted muscles.

Superman groaned with relief, then came to his senses when he realized where they were. He stood up quickly, frantically searching about the room for other League members. The relief that they were alone was evident on his face, and he didn't return to the chair.

"What's wrong?" Diana asked, trying hard not to show her disappointment that he'd shrugged away from her yet again.

"What if somebody sees us?" he whispered.

"So what if they do?" she countered. "I'm not afraid."

"The time isn't right, Diana." Superman stammered. "I'm not ready to go public."

"Do you need Batman's permission?" she taunted.

"You should know better than anyone not to go there," he replied coldly, then marched past her. "Good night."

Reluctantly, she watched him disappear around the corner, debating whether she should pursue him, then sank into one of the console chairs. Resigned to spending another night without him, she decided to pass the time by sorting through her electronic mail. Most of it involved solicitations from magazines to pose in various stages of undress. She quickly deleted those, but one caught her eye. She sat back in the chair, considering the invitation.

"Paris in September?" she murmured, "Sounds like fun."


	8. Chapter 7: Closure?

**Chapter 7- Closure?**

To his immense frustration, Clark Kent was up against a story deadline. He checked the clock on his desk, which beeped, reminding him that he only had another five minutes to e-mail the story to his boss. Unfortunately, his progress was slower than he was used to. The facts of the murder case he was writing about were not in dispute, but for the life of him, he couldn't seem to pull the details together in a cogent manner. It wasn't the first time he'd had writer's block, but today represented yet another instance in the past few months where he was failing to deliver up to his usual professional standard.

By trade, a conscientious reporter for the Daily Planet, personal events in the life of his alter ego had taken their toll on his performance at his day job. The story staring back at him on the computer screen normally would have taken him an hour or two to write. Typically he was unaffected by the cacophony of ringing phones, shouted interviews and frantic pleas of reporters, begging editors for extensions to complete their work. Lately however, he was easily distracted by everyone and everything in the office. He spent the day idly listening to conversations with his enhanced hearing, perusing the Internet, anything to fill the time. He'd managed to procrastinate finishing the story for the balance of the day. Perry White, his editor, had shown remarkable patience to date, but even he was growing more and more exasperated with Clark's recent work product.

Dissatisfied with the opening paragraph, Clark was contemplating requesting another extension when Perry rushed up to his desk.

"Done yet, Kent?" the older man barked.

"It's not quite ready, Mr. White."

"It's as ready as its going to be, Kent. Go ahead and send it. I'll do the copy editing so it will make the deadline."

"I'd really prefer that you wait until I'm done with the story, Mr. White," Clark protested.

"I'd really prefer that you finish the assignments that I give you on time," the editor parroted back. Seeing that he'd struck a nerve, the older man settled into the chair across from Clark. "Seriously, Kent. What is wrong with you lately? You're missing deadlines, your facts and background details, including your references, are frankly shoddy at best. At the current rate, I'll have to hire a copy editor to shadow you all day. What happened to my next Pulitzer Prize winning writer?"

"I think she moved to Gotham a year ago," Clark replied lamely.

"Is that what's been bothering you for so long now?" Perry White's eyes twinkled with understanding. "Well, maybe a little more proximity to Lois would help snap you out of your funk."

"I have no interest in moving to Gotham," Clark replied with a dismissive wave.

"Who said anything about moving to Gotham?" Perry replied with a grin. "I just got off the phone with her an hour ago. Lois is moving back here."

Lois Lane was exhausted. When she'd moved to Gotham over a year before, Bruce had hired a moving company to box up her stuff at her apartment in Metropolis and unpack in the penthouse he'd bought her in Gotham. As she re-packed it, she realized that somewhere in her twenties, she'd turned into a pack-rat. There were boxes of five-inch floppy discs filled with background information on stories that she'd written over ten years before. Problem was, she hadn't used a computer with a compatible drive for those discs in five years.

Since she'd gained employment with the Planet, Lois had repeatedly told herself that she was going to get organized at some point, but there was always another story waiting around the corner for her to pursue. She wasn't much of a homemaker, so she just kept accumulating more and more stuff without bothering to take stock if it was important or worth saving.

Now that she had the time to sort through her life, Lois had no interest in clinging to things that were clearly in the past. She'd divided her living room into piles of boxes worth keeping and the ones destined to be thrown out.

The trash pile was three times the size of what she was keeping. She'd started at eight in the morning. Nearing midnight, she finally finished the task. Covered with sweat and dust and feeling more than a little grimy, she perched on a barstool and rewarded herself with a glass of Merlot. A small breeze wafted over her neck. Normally she wouldn't have noticed the change, but the sweat still damp on her skin made her more sensitive to her surroundings than she otherwise would have been.

"Come to help me pack?" she asked the shadows in her darkened bedroom.

"I didn't realize you were leaving," Batman replied, still shrouded in the darkness. "When were you planning on telling me? After the plane touched down in Metropolis?"

"Frankly I didn't think there was much left to say," Lois muttered with the glass of wine perched at her lips. "I have independence issues and you – well let's just say you have more issues than your average superhero."

"I don't know many average superheroes," Batman replied grimly. "The population seems to be firmly divided between metas and the rest of us. I apologize for not being able to offer you more on that front."

"I don't need for you to leap tall buildings in a single bound - "

" – but it wouldn't hurt -"

"- I just need you to trust me," Lois replied, irritated by the interruption. She took another long pull of the glass of wine, then settled it on the table. Her fingers moved the glass around in circles, watching distractedly as the tannins in the wine clung to the edge of the glass before settling again. "I thought about us all night and I reached a conclusion this morning that didn't make me happy."

"Which is?"

"We're both too high maintenance," she blurted, then smiled weakly when his eyeslits narrowed – his sign of consternation. "I adore you, Bruce. I really do. You're handsome, dashing, rich, and really good in the sack, but I'm kind of a trouble-maker. I need a man who calms the storms in my life. You only provide more chaos."

He opened his mouth as if to protest, but stopped.

She smiled, understanding all too well the demons that were wrestling inside the man before her, then decided to ease the tension between them. Lois walked over, then gently placed her head against his chest so she wouldn't have to look at him. She felt his arms rise a moment, then he dropped them back at his sides, unable to provide the comfort she desired.

"When I moved to Gotham to be with you, I resolved Batman would be a hobby, like golf, do you remember?"

He nodded as Lois looked up into his eyes.

"I just didn't understand the extent that Batman has taken a hold of your life. You _are_ Batman; Bruce Wayne is just a front. Asking you to give that up is not even a remote possibility. But I can't continue to pretend to be happy with you when his shadow is lurking around every corner, waiting to take over full time."

The controlled darkness of his expression almost wavered for a moment, then he regained his composure when he realized how serious she was. "I understand," he replied calmly. "When are you leaving?"

Lois smiled at the sense of déjà vu she was experiencing. They'd had this same conversation on the tarmac in Metropolis a year before, but her impulsive flight to Gotham had prolonged their relationship to this final breaking point. "Tomorrow at noon. Come see me off at the airport?" Lois asked hopefully, staring up at the eyes that still looked so foreign, covered as they were by the cowl.

He shook his head, then backed away, heading for the balcony. "Can't. Heading to Paris." He opened the door, spilling the cool night air into the room, then turned to face her again. He nodded almost imperceptibly, paused a moment, struggling to say something that might provide some closure, then dismissing the attempt, launched a grapple at the opposite roof.

She opened her mouth to tell him goodbye, but a box perched on the edge of the sofa suddenly upended, spilling its contents onto the floor. Lois crouched down to straighten the mess, but when she looked up, he was gone. She shook her head with exasperation then ran to the balcony to watch him swing across the Gotham rooftops. She waved, not expecting a reply. She was amazed that a relationship that had showed so much promise at one point could be over so quickly. A tear made its way down her face as he disappeared into the steel canyons. Shivering in the night air, she finally closed the doors.

Leafing through the most recent copy of The New Republic, Clark perched on a barstool over his kitchen counter. He wasn't that interested in the column's insider whisperings on the goings on in D.C., but it beat the alternative of flipping on late night TV. It was the fourth magazine he'd gone through in as many hours, and the lack of activity made him restless.

Normally he'd be out on patrol or taking a Monitor Duty shift on the Watchtower, but tonight was date-night, so he'd patiently waited for Diana's arrival. Early in their relationship, due to the strains on their time, he and Diana had made a pact to meet at his apartment on Wednesday nights no matter what – each of them eventually showing up no matter how late the hour had grown. She'd been detained occasionally before, but Diana had never shown up later than nine p.m. It wasn't that they didn't get together for quick dalliances at other times, but the sanctity of Wednesday nights had provided a welcome respite for both of them.

Spying a slight movement on the building rooftop across the street, he debated calling her on the comm. link, but the motivation just wasn't there. She would either come or she wouldn't, he decided. He knew her well enough to know that Diana wasn't a woman who would be summoned.

In their own way, they were both very proud - and very stubborn - people. As such, their argument after the incident with Darkseid had cast a cloud over their relationship. Neither one of them seemed to know how to take the next step. They'd studiously avoided each other for the past week, but he hadn't thought she would ignore their regularly scheduled get-together.

Fed up waiting for her to appear, at half past midnight, Clark decided to throw in the towel. He clicked off the light in the kitchen, then turned to walk to the bathroom to brush his teeth. His enhanced hearing picked up the footfalls on the balcony a moment later, then Diana walked into the room. Clark didn't bother turning on the light.

"Hey there, stranger," he called out in the darkness. "Where you been?"

"Sorry I'm late," Diana replied, absently looking away from him. "I got…hung up."

"On top of the building across the street you mean?" he asked. Diana frowned with embarrassment, realizing she'd been caught in a lie. He tapped his glasses lightly. "Enhanced vision, remember? You've been up there for more than an hour."

"I needed some time to think," Diana replied defensively. "I was trying to figure out a way to come over without getting into another argument."

"We don't argue that much, do we?" Clark replied, visibly surprised.

"To be honest, we don't do a lot of anything," Diana replied, obliquely referring to their alarming decrease in sexual activity.

"I've been distracted lately," he replied with an apologetic shrug. "I can't seem to get a thing done at work. Guess I have a lot on my mind."

"We seem to have a lot on our minds these days. Work. The League. Darkseid. Us," Diana replied, finally meeting his gaze for the first time since she'd arrived.

A heavy silence hung thick between them, then simultaneously they both said, "We need to talk."

The air hung heavy between them, as each waited for the other to continue. Clark tried an assuring smile, but it felt forced, unfamiliar. By the look on Diana's face, his smile probably looked worse. He settled back onto his perch on the barstool. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"I'm glad you said it first, but yes, we are in trouble," Diana replied, her face twisted with confusion. "You are a great man. You've been so helpful in teaching me the ways of Man's World. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I honestly think that we're just too different to pretend that this…relationship…is ever going to go further than this -." She stopped, pausing to find the right word.

"Affair?" he suggested.

"Exactly!" Diana replied.

"And all along I've been thinking that we're too much alike," Clark replied. "We're too proud to admit when the other one is right. It's killing us."

"It already killed us," Diana replied wanly. "I don't want this to end ugly, Clark. I really don't. We're teammates in the League, and I don't want us avoiding each other because we couldn't make this work. What we do is too important to let some petty jealousies come between us."

"I know," Clark replied softly. On impulse, he walked over and put his arms around her. It was a gesture of friendship – not a pass – and she returned it as such.

"Still friends?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"Always," he replied warmly, adding a gentle squeeze to emphasize his words. He escorted her to the balcony door, a gentle hand of reassurance still placed on her arm.

"Headed back to the Watchtower?" he asked. "I'm on Monitor Duty tomorrow night. Maybe I'll see you there."

"I'll be in Paris until Friday," she replied. "It's supposed to be lovely this time of year."

"Enjoy the time off," Clark said with a heartfelt smile. "You deserve it."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The monotony of Robin's silent vigil over the ship moored at Pier 37 was finally interrupted by the soft footfalls of his mentor. Robin knew better than to take his eyes off the cargo freighter that two hours before had docked after a five-day journey from its homeport at Cartagena, Colombia. A lapse in concentration would mean sparking Batman's wrath – something Tim Drake desperately wanted to avoid.

"Where you been?" he asked casually.

"Lois's apartment." Came the clipped reply.

"What's she up to?"

"Packing."

"Packing for where? Another overnight in Metropolis?" Tim asked hopefully. Based on recent history, a Lois trip to Metropolis meant a night off for him as Batman usually elected to follow her to that 'other' city of skyscrapers on the East Coast.

"No. It's permanent."

Robin's eyes bulged inside the binoculars he was using to survey the ship. Slowly, he swiveled his head until he could see the expression on Batman's face. Tim was hoping that his mentor had decided to lighten up for the first time since he'd known him, but as usual Batman's face was a mask of concentration. Tim considered his options, trying to figure out a way to extract more information without being too obvious, but nothing obvious came to mind. He finally decided that sympathy might be the best approach.

"She couldn't deal with the life, huh?"

"Something like that."

"It's not your fault, Batman." Tim rationalized with a sympathetic shrug, then turned back to survey the building. "That's why it works for Dick and Barbara. They know the life. Lois never would have figured it out. Better she left now than have you guys do something stupid like knock out a couple of kids, you know?"

The eyeslits of the cowl narrowed ominously, then Robin felt a chill wash down his spine as the larger man leaned into his space.

"Robin?"

"Yeah, Batman?"

"No more psychoanalyzing my relationships on patrol, got it?" he growled.

"Got it," the younger man gulped. He refocused the lenses on his binoculars, cursing them under his breath. They were working just fine, but he was hoping the distraction would provide a moment of respite from the stress in the air.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Lois felt queasy when she got on the plane, wondering why her stomach felt so upset. As she settled into her first class seat, she declined the flight attendant's offer of a pre-flight soda. As the plane clawed for altitude after take-off, the airframe shuddered through a layer of turbulence. Her pelvis tightened into eye-watering cramps with each tremble of the wing, but even the smoother air at the higher altitudes did little to dispel the pain. She wondered what could be troubling her so much, then smacked her forehead, exasperated by her choice to buy a gyro from the street vendor in front of her condo. She'd run late packing, then grabbed a bite from the mobile vendor just before she jumped into the taxi to the airport.

'That explains it,' she thought smugly, but continued to shift uncomfortably in her seat for the rest of the flight as the cramps roiled her stomach. Lois let out a sigh of relief when the wheels touched down at Metropolis International an hour later, then she ducked into the nearest bathroom in the terminal as soon as the jetway pulled up to the plane. Squatting down to pull down her panties, she was mortified to see a large stain of blood had seeped into the protective cotton layer of the undergarment.

She blew out a breath of resigned irritation, then rhetorically muttered "Haven't done that since I got my first period when I was twelve!" at the walls. She stood up, carefully peeled the underwear off, cleaned herself up, then realized with a start that her period wasn't due to start for another two weeks. Opening her travel case, she slipped on another pair of panties then joined the crowds in the terminal.

Five minutes later, she settled into the back seat of a taxi. As the driver pulled away from the terminal, she wracked her brain, trying to think of any alternative other than the unthinkable one that roared in her brain like a police siren.

None came.

Two blocks away from the furnished apartment the Daily Planet had loaned her until she could find a place of her own, she hopped out of the cab at a drugstore. She bought her usual assortment of feminine hygiene products with one notable exception: an EPT kit.

Upstairs in the new apartment five minutes later, she almost collapsed on the floor of her bathroom when the "+" registered in blue.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Diana's arrival in at the Ritz Carlton in Paris was more eventful than she would have ordinarily preferred, but in the year she'd been in Man's World, she'd learned to tolerate the initial crush of people who clamored for her attention. Luckily, the Ritz tended to attract a sophisticated level of clientele, so the guests who witnessed her arrival in the lobby quickly managed to recover from their initial shock at seeing the "Amazing Amazon". Most of them immediately went back to their business, intent on pretending that they weren't impressed.

Unsure of what to next, Diana waited awkwardly in the check-in line with the rest of the guests. She could feel every eye in the lobby staring right at her, but there appeared to be no alternative but to wait. Luckily, Claude Formage, the hotel's manager, appeared to be used to dealing with the requirements of high profile celebrities, politicians and executives who demanded anonymity. He greeted her politely in the check in line, then whisked her into his office behind the check-in counter, closing the doors so the gawkers wouldn't have a view of his newest celebrity. There'd been a number of them, judging by the number of autographed pictures Claude had hung behind his desk. His first order of business was to inquire what codename she wanted to be known as, in case other guests or paparazzi were inclined to find her room.

She thought the request strange until he explained the necessity of the codename, then proceeded to drop some suggestions her way. Diana didn't think much of Barbie or Brigitte (the reference to Bardot was lost on her), so she wracked her brain for an alternative. Nothing easy came to mind, so she finally scrawled 'Xena' on the card. The manager seemed disappointed in her creativity when he read the name, but happily swiped the debit card that Batman had provided to each member of the League to pay for miscellaneous expenses. She wasn't sure if he'd be happy paying $800 per night for her room, but Diana had more important things to worry about at the moment.

The manager personally escorted her to a freight elevator then showed her the suite he'd assigned her when she'd e-mailed her reservation a few days before.

"As you requested, this room has its own balcony. Will it suffice?"

"Thank you, Claude," she replied warmly. "The room will be fine."

"Do you have any bags or clothing you wish for us to unpack?" he asked helpfully.

"I usually only wear my uniform," she replied, puzzled. "Is that not appropriate to wear for the ball tonight?"

"Mon dieu!" Claude replied, horrified as he pictured the public's reaction to Diana strolling around a black-tie party in her battle armor. He bent down, picked up the phone, then in his native tongue barked a series of orders to the concierge downstairs. He replaced the phone in the cradle a moment later, then flashed her a warm smile.

"I hope the Madame might be open to the owner of Courreges boutique stopping by in an hour to show off some of her latest designs?"

Diana pondered the suggestion for a few moments, then shrugged her shoulders in feeble agreement. "I don't keep up on Paris fashions, so have her bring whatever you think best, Claude. I'll rely on your judgment."

"A wise move, to be sure," the man sniffed, then spun on his heels, determined to make sure the transformation from warrior to high society debutante went smoothly. 

Two hours later, Diana selected a black, floor-length, spaghetti-strap dress that the tailor modified to accommodate her generous bust and slim waist. When she emerged from the bathroom, Claude's eyes bugged out in disbelief.

"That dress is going to cause more commotion tonight than I had intended," he observed with a grin.

"Thank you," Diana replied with a slow nod. "That's just what I was hoping for."

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

The cramps in Lois's stomach were growing more painful by the minute. Worse, the maxi-pad she'd secured to her panties an hour before was saturated. She discarded the old one, secured a new pad to her panties, then lay down on the couch. She'd popped a Midol a few minutes before to deal with the cramps, but nothing was helping her situation. Her cellphone rang a few feet away, buried deep in her purse on the floor. She groaned in misery, then scooted over on the couch until she could reach her purse.

"Lane here."

"Lois. It's Perry. Where are you?"

"At the apartment."

"The apartment? I thought you were coming here straight from the airport."

"Change of plans, Chief," she replied. "I don't feel so hot."

"What's wrong with you, Lane?" the voice teased over the phone. "A year in Gotham make you soft?"

"Something like that," she replied in a whisper as another wave of pain shot through her gut.

"Anything I can do?" Perry asked sympathetically.

"Shoot me to put me out of my misery," Lois murmured with a groan. "On second thought, send over a delivery boy with something to settle an upset stomach."

"I'll see what I can do."

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

As dusk settled over the Eiffel Tower, fifteen miles west of Paris, the Batwing settled easily into hover mode as the thrust vector systems deflected the jet exhaust downward instead of out the tailpipe. Stripped of forward momentum, the plane quickly descended a hundred meters above the parking lot onto the concrete, dropped its landing gear, then rolled forward again as soon as the wheels met the pavement. A moment later the black jet slipped between two huge doors into a large industrial building that had once housed a distribution operation for a WayneTech car parts subsidiary. Vacant for a year since that operation had been centralized in neighboring Luxembourg, the building's size, large doors and proximity to Paris made it a perfect place to warehouse the plane.

Ten minutes later, clad in a Hugo Boss tuxedo, Bruce Wayne emerged from the building. A four-door Bentley was waiting in the parking lot, a delivery service having parked it there an hour earlier. He threw his bags into the trunk, then put the car in gear. He glanced at his watch, debating whether or not he had enough time to check into his suite at the Peninsula Hotel, then decided against it. He had one more task to accomplish before he attended the opening of the Paris Air & Space Museum.

"Batman to the Watchtower," he muttered, triggering the comm. link while simultaneously merging onto the freeway that ringed the outskirts of Paris.

"Go ahead." J'onn's voice rang back clearly.

"I'll be in Paris for a day or two," Batman informed him casually. "Let me know if there's any activity in the vicinity which might require my attention."

"I assume you wish to coordinate your activities with Diana?" J'onn replied in his standard monotone.

"Why?" Bruce replied cryptically, slipping through traffic at a speed well above the posted limit.

"She has elected to take a few days of leave in that city," J'onn replied. "Her status is reserve-active."

"I'll contact her if I need assistance. Batman out."

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

Clark Kent was starting to grow worried. He'd been banging on the door to the apartment Lois was using for a few minutes with no answer. An hour before, Perry White had informed him that Lois wasn't coming into work, and Clark had immediately started worrying. In the five years they'd worked together, he'd never known her to take a sick day. He skipped lunch to put the finishing touches on his article, e-mailed it to Perry, then flagged a cab over to her apartment. Famished, Clark allowed himself the luxury of snagging some takeout from a Chinese restaurant he'd frequented a few times, then headed up to the 17th floor where she was staying.

Impatient and fraught with worry, he'd finally resolved to slip his glasses low enough on his nose to employ his x-ray vision when a disheveled Lois finally opened the door. She was wearing sweatpants and a bathrobe, but her eyes were puffy. Streaks of mascara were still evident on her face, a sure sign she'd been crying.

"Hey, Smallville," she whispered softly, "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you," he replied. "Perry said you weren't feeling so well, so I thought I'd drop off some hot and sour soup."

"That is very thoughtful," she replied, then her face contorted with pain as a spasm swept through her body. He reached out to steady her, then she gingerly collapsed onto the couch a few feet away.

Clark stood in the doorway, dumbfounded as to what he should do next, then stepped into the living room. He closed the door behind him, then stowed the takeout in the refrigerator. He snagged a box of tissues from an adjacent bathroom, then his jaw dropped to the floor when he spied the EPT strip with a positive sign sitting on the sink. Feeling like he'd been punched in the gut by Darkseid, he approached Lois in the living room. Still sniffling, she attempted a weak smile of gratitude as she yanked a handful of tissues out of the box.

"Bad day?" he offered helpfully, quietly slipping onto the opposite end of the couch.

She laughed scornfully, then cleared her throat. "More like a bad week. I ended it with Bruce two days ago, then on the plane I started spotting. I thought it was just an early period – my cycle has never been that regular – but the cramps and the pain were off the charts. I grabbed some stuff at the drugstore and realized it might be something else. Came back here and found out that I was pregnant."

Clark's worst fears were confirmed, but he betrayed no show of emotion. "That must have come as quite a shock."

"Hell yes it came as a shock," Lois replied sarcastically, "Especially considering I was using the Patch."

"What happened?" Clark mused. "Forget to change it out?"

"Do I seem like the type who would conveniently forget to use birth control in the hopes of having somebody's kid?" she snorted. " I sat here for an hour in shock, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do, then nature in its infinite wisdom decided to take the wheel."

"What does that mean?"

"The spotting was a sign of a miscarriage," Lois replied matter-of-factly. "I just came back from the ER when you knocked. Ultrasound confirmed I was pregnant, but I miscarried. The doctor said that the hormones from the Patch make it difficult for the pregnancy to take hold, so ninety-nine percent of these cases end up in a miscarriage."

"Are you all right?"

"It's been a helluva week, that much is certain," Lois replied. "Physically I'm fine. I'm still having some cramps, but those should be gone in another day or so. Emotionally it's a different story."

"Are you going to tell Bruce?" Clark inquired.

"What's to tell?" Lois muttered. "Can you imagine that conversation? 'Hi Bruce, its me, Lois. You were going to be a Dad but now you're not.' He and I didn't exactly part on great terms, you know?"

"I didn't know," Clark replied with a shrug. "It's not like we've talked in awhile."

"About that," Lois started, then stopped. She wasn't much for apologies, but even Lois had to admit she hadn't exactly made a point of being a full-time friend to Clark after she'd left for Gotham. "I really am sorry if I treated you badly. Maybe hanging out with the rich and famous made me bitchier than before."

"I should be the one to apologize," Clark offered helpfully. "I might have been a little out of line when I said some of those things."

"Well, maybe just a little out of line," Lois chortled, but the smile on her face stayed there after the moment passed. "I missed teasing you, Smallville. Those people in Gotham just don't have a sense of humor."

"You know us farmboys," he replied with a grin. "We always aim to please. If abusing me helps you pass the time, then fire away."

"It really is nice to see a friendly face," Lois noted ruefully. "You're one of my best friends, Clark. Really. I missed hanging out with you."

"Ditto."

They stared at each other for a moment, the air suddenly heavy with emotion. It made Lois uncomfortable, and she looked for a topic of conversation not related to her relationships with men. "That take out still warm?" Lois inquired, twisting on the couch towards the kitchen. "Suddenly some hot and sour soup sounds good."

"I'll see what I can do," he replied. He motioned for her to stay put on the couch. "Want some Kung Pao Chicken? I got the white-meat only, the way you like it."

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Bruce Wayne was bored beyond belief. In order to maintain his public image as an international playboy, it made sense for him to attend the opening of the Museum. He'd found it strange that scores of both European and American paparazzi were planted on the red carpet. As he waited in line, he eavesdropped on two supermodels whom were bitterly complaining that the museum opening had turned into an impromptu coming out party for Princess Audrey from Kasnia. He knew the princess had earned a reputation as a European equivalent to Paris Hilton, but knew little else.

Bruce had shown up to the Museum dateless, but the paparazzi presented an opportunity to cut the evening even shorter than he'd planned. He grabbed the two models, then spent a few minutes shamelessly flirting with them in broken French. As they warmed up to him, Bruce played the game of celebrity photo-posing. Dozens of flashbulbs went off as some of the American paparazzi recognized him, ensuring that his picture would show up somewhere in the tabloids. Satisfied that he'd done justice to his rakish reputation, Bruce escorted the two of them into the Museum. Out of a sense of obligation, he flirted with the models for a few minutes. Weary of the sheer vapidity of the conversation, five minutes later he stole away with an excuse about needing to hit the bathroom for a much needed pee stop.

He hovered out of their eyesight on the opposite side of the room, making polite small-talk with a few faces that he recognized around the room. Before he'd arrived, Bruce had promised himself to stay for at least an hour. Forty minutes into his promise, Bruce had almost reached the limits of his endurance. Luckily, a commotion at the front entrance attracted the attention of the attendees, allowing him to break away from a German politician who was extolling the virtues of his country's near-socialist pension system. From his new position near the bar, Bruce felt his jaw drop open with surprise when he saw Diana stroll into the room. The dress was stunning – not so stunning that he could forget the vision of her in her birthday suit coming out of the lake on Themyscira – but stunning nevertheless.

A number of possibilities entered his mind with respect to whether or not he should even approach her. He sifted through the possibilities, then finally decided against even talking to her. Bored as he was, there was no point in jeopardizing his identity with a teammate just for the thrill of it. He'd decided to use her entrance as an excuse to steal away from the event, but he changed his mind when he saw a look of desperation cross her face. In a flash, she was surrounded by a large, curious crowd who had no compunction about asking whatever was on their mind.

"Are you really from an island of women?"

"What is Superman like?"

"Where do you live in Man's World?"

The questions were being shouted so quickly that she didn't have time to respond. Exasperated, Diana desperately looked for an opportunity to escape when a firm, masculine hand reached out and grabbed her by the hand.

"Excuse me," he said. "May I have this dance?"

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"Yes!" Diana answered, gleefully escaping the crowd. She trailed him hand-in-hand to the dance floor. "Thank you, Mr…?"

"Wayne," he finished. "Bruce Wayne."

A multitude of thoughts cascaded in her mind, but, trying not to betray the surge of adrenaline that shot through her body as she realized that Batman was asking her to dance, Diana politely replied, "I appreciate the rescue."

His hand slipped around her waist as they began a waltz. She wasn't experienced in this style of dance, but he was an excellent lead, always providing subtle hints of where he wanted her to move next.

As they started to dance, she didn't want to betray that she knew his secret - not right here on the dance floor anyway. When Clark had told her a year before about Lois moving to Gotham to pursue a relationship with Batman, it had only taken a quick search on the Internet to find pictures of Superman's ex-girlfriend being squired around Gotham City by Bruce Wayne. She'd read articles about him in the local Gotham papers, most of which were unflattering portrayals of a bored playboy who's only interests were expanding his business empire or bedding attractive socialites. At the time, Diana was intrigued with the clever ruse Bruce Wayne had so cleverly constructed to conceal his true self, but her interest in that subject had waned as her relationship with Clark had deepened.

Now that she was dancing with Batman's alter ego, she was amazed that he was able to carry off the act so easily.

_He's playing a dangerous game_, she thought as they moved in lockstep across the floor. _Clark and I have only been broken up for a day or two. There's no way he could know we ended it already_.

She stared hard at him, trying to determine what kind of game he was playing, but even without the cowl his eyes betrayed nothing. "I'm surprised to see you here," he observed in a nonchalant tone that Diana found intriguing. "From what I've heard, this really isn't your sort of affair."

"I've decided to get out more. Have a little fun," she replied, flirting with her eyes and body as she said it. Diana was intent on trying to elicit some sort of reaction from him. If that meant dirty dancing, she was prepared to take the next step. He was playing a high stakes game, and she was ready to call his bluff.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" he asked with a lilt in his voice, then upped the ante again by lightly pressing against her as he spun her back into him.

"More than I expected," she said, surprised to find that her heart was racing loudly in her ears. She took a deep breath then continued. "What about you? What brings you to the City of Lights?"

"I never miss a good party," he replied with a devilish leer down the front of her dress. Diana tried not to betray her surprise at his deliberate provocation. Without a misstep, she took an opportunity on the next spin to deliberately drag her breasts against his arm, hoping the physical contact would elicit a response.

His eyes betrayed nothing. "I may also have to attend to some business while I'm in town," he continued evenly.

She stared hard back at him, trying to determine the next move in this game. Each time they spun in and out of proximity to the other, she took the opportunity to run her hands over his shoulders and back. The hard muscle underneath confirmed her initial suspicions. _That's a lot of muscle for a Gotham playboy_' she thought. Her discovery was overshadowed by the subsequent pleasure she took in their dance_. Hera, help me but he's handsome_.

As their dance continued she wondered if he would continue to play the role of aggressor. A primitive part of her responded to the fact that he was confident enough to presume her willingness to be led onto the dance floor. Most men were intimidated to such an extent that they could hardly do anything other than stare at her breasts and mumble incoherently. While it was admittedly his alter ego with whom she was dancing, Diana enjoyed the fact that he displayed his desire for her so openly. Steve Trevor had displayed the same type of brazen demeanor during their mission to capture Vandal Savage during World War II, and she had been amazed by her response, nay arousal was more like it, to that kind of confidence.

Distracted by their dance, neither of them noticed the sound of the helicopter hovering overhead until the commandos had punched through the domed glass cupola in the ceiling. They stopped dancing, but Diana stayed close to him, her breasts deliberately - and pleasantly - pushed against his chest. They stared in open-mouthed shock as the commandos secured Princess Audrey with a rope.

"Excuse me," each of them finally muttered, resigned to dealing with the attack in their own way. Bruce started for a staircase that looked like it might provide a place for a quick change of uniforms, but before he'd made it past the desert bar, Diana had torn her dress in half below the knee, allowing her the freedom to assault the kidnappers.

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Bruce stood transfixed by her sudden change of attire – if the quick glimpse he'd gotten was accurate, Diana had elected to go commando under her dress as well – then decided to help himself to the selection of hors d'oeveres while Diana dispensed a major butt-kicking on the commandos. He slipped outside to watch her take out the last men on the helicopter, then slipped unnoticed from the museum grounds. He'd gotten a tip that there was going to be a break-in at a weapons laboratory owned by one of France's most high-tech aerospace manufacturers, and he didn't want to get caught up in a long-winded police debriefing of all of the eyewitnesses.

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Obligated to keep the commandos in custody until the gendarme could arrive, Diana had spent the few seconds she could searching the crowd of onlookers for the man who'd waltzed her on the floor just minutes before. The party had ended quickly as the museum was now a police scene. Downcast that Bruce had disappeared so quickly and without any plans for the rest of the evening, Diana had reluctantly agreed to chaperone Audrey for the rest of the night.

She enjoyed buying the new dresses with Audrey. While Diana wasn't a slave by any means to the fashion whims of Man's World, even she could recognize there was a more feminine side of her personality that occasionally needed to be shown to her teammates – if not the world. The club hopping that ensued after their escape from Audrey's bodyguard was fun, but Audrey's procurement of two handsome men did little to distract Diana's thoughts away from the man that had danced with her at the Museum.

When she finally got back to her hotel room at sunrise, Diana was shocked to find Batman seated in the chair opposite her bed. Ensconced in the shadows of the corner, his voice suddenly floated over to her as she peeled off her shoes.

"You're keeping late hours," he observed evenly.

Surprised by the voice emerging from the darkness, Diana paused in mid-stride. A small smile of relief formed in the corners of her mouth The same man who had rescued her last night from the crush of admirers was suddenly switching gears, accusing her of partying until the wee hours as if on a whim.

She declined to rise to the bait.

"You should talk," she responded coyly, then smiled at him flirtatiously while defiantly placing her hands on her hips. "Keeping an eye on me?"

"Not hardly," he replied evenly, but his expression betrayed the surprise he'd experienced hearing the flirtatious challenge in her tone and carriage. Accustomed to the verbal sparring matches they usually engaged in since she'd started dating Superman, her flirting was sending a signal that she was willing to play the game for as long as he wanted. He elected to continue on his original path to warn her away from the Kasnian Princess. "I captured a Kasnian special-forces soldier last night trying to steal some top-secret equipment from a weapons plant outside the city."

"Your point?"

"The point is, you've been running in some rarefied circles," he observed, then pointed to some pictures of her and Audrey the paparazzi had snapped for the morning tabloids. "Those people aren't always who they appear to be."

She waved her hand at him dismissively. "Don't you have somebody else to worry about, Bruce?" She purred, walking towards him with a sway of her hips that the male heterosexual population found captivating. She stopped a few feet away "After all, you're playing a pretty dangerous game. Isn't Lois going to get jealous? Or did you not tell her about the time you kissed me on Themyscira?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. He growled back. He was maintaining a poker face, but a bead of sweat that plopped from the cowl onto his lip betrayed him.

Diana grinned that she'd finally gotten the upper hand in this game. "Suit yourself," she replied as she pulled off the high heels Audrey had bought her the previous evening. "But when we've figured out what's going on with Audrey, you're still taking me dancing."

That finally got the reaction she'd been trying to provoke all night. The cowl bunched up above his eyebrows as he gaped in disbelief. "You're playing a dangerous game, Diana," he replied. "Superman might not be happy."

"We broke up, or hadn't you heard?" she replied with a flippant toss of her hair. Her expression remained defiant however, her eyes asking him whether he was up to the challenge of romancing an Amazon Princess.

He raised himself up from the chair, then striding to the opposite side of the room, dexterously managed to bring the cape around to hide the sudden pup tent that had pitched in his trousers. "By your body language alone, I knew you two were having problems. Is it going to affect the League?"

"We decided to remain good friends," Diana replied, collapsing onto the bed with a flourish. "What about you? How come you didn't bring along Lois? Not often a girl gets a chance to dress to the nines in Paris."

His eyes narrowed again, but, taking her cue from before, he declined to rise to the bait. "We've got bigger problems than your love-life. Think about it. Some Kasnian rebels try to kidnap the heir to the throne, while ten miles away a group of special-forces operatives are stealing arms equipment. A political crisis connected to an arms race means something is going on in Kasnia that we need to look into. "

The harshness in his tone was a final signal that he wasn't interested in anymore flirting. She yawned, considering the gravity of what he'd learned that evening, but the urge to sleep was too inviting to pass up. Her eyelids closed heavily, then she opened them one more time. "I'm supposed to see Audrey tonight. I'll look into the Kasnian connection."

He turned to leave her room. "Do that."

"Batman?" she called as he strode to the balcony. He paused mid-stride, waiting for her to talk.

"When we get done with this mission, you're still taking me dancing."

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Clark Kent had spent the entire morning on the phone tracking down some background information on a corruption story he'd been investigating for a few weeks. It wasn't until Lois tapped him on the shoulder and made a motion about eating something that he realized it was already past his usual twelve-thirty lunch hour. He hurried through the rest of the interview he was conducting on the phone. Lois waited at his desk impatiently, rolling her eyes each time he asked another question. He considered her expression, then hurriedly wrapped up the interview before she strangled him with the phone cord.

They walked over and grabbed a booth at a diner they'd frequented before she'd moved to Gotham, each ordering by rote memory instead of looking at the menu. The waitress went to retrieve their drink orders, giving them enough privacy for Clark to inquire about her health.

"Better," came her clipped reply.

"Shouldn't you have stayed home one more day?" he asked with concern. "I mean, it seemed like it was somewhat traumatic."

"It was traumatic," Lois replied, nodding in agreement. "The whole week's been kind of traumatic, to be honest. But I just couldn't take another day staring at the walls of that apartment. I needed to get out, and what better place to get your mind off your personal life than work?"

"Point well taken," he noted dryly. "These days all I seem to have is work."

"No recent conquests for Smallville in the big city?" she teased, but there was a little more interest in her eyes about his personal life than he might have seen a year before.

"No long term commitments," he commented. " Sometimes I wonder if I'm compatible with anybody long term."

"You're preaching to the choir, Smallville." Lois commiserated, then thanked the waitress when she brought their orders.

"So what happened in Gotham?" he asked evenly, desperately trying not to betray his anxiety at walking the fine line he'd undertaken. After all, he was asking both as Clark and as Superman. "I mean, how come it didn't work out?"

Lois put her cheeseburger down on the plate and paused, trying to find the right words. She watched a young mother pushing an infant in a stroller down the opposite sidewalk, then finally Lois cleared her throat to speak. "It's kind of complicated. Bruce did it for me on a lot of levels, I'll admit, but bottom line, we were just incompatible."

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Diana woke up at three in the afternoon. After Batman left, she'd stayed on the bed, drowsily contemplating the two disparate halves of his personality.

Batman was the Dark Knight, cloaked in shadows and mystery. His demeanor allowed as much subtlety as a bull elephant in must.

Bruce Wayne was the just the opposite – suave, sophisticated, and openly flirtatious.

She wondered about the sanity of maintaining such a contrasted lifestyle, then smiled when she remembered how he succumbed to the tranquility of Themyscira. Quiet and withdrawn unless provoked, Batman had maintained a noticeable distance from her since that day. She wondered if he ignored her or treated her rudely because of her relationship with Clark, but that answer didn't fit the riddle that he posed.

Her meandering thoughts led her to the inevitable comparison to Superman.

_They couldn't be more different_, she thought. After Darkseid had turned him against Earth, Clark had become almost consumed with a public relations campaign to regain the trust of Earth's populace. He attended as many public charity functions as he could, always willing to shake another hand or pose for another picture. Diana understood the desire to be accepted, but she'd always thought it was a little too much of a compulsion for Clark.

On the opposite extreme there was Batman - or was it Bruce, she wondered? He lived in shadows, conducted his business with little or no care as to how his teammates viewed him. He didn't care if they liked him, hated him, or viewed him indifferently, as long as they understood he was there to execute his mission. He was abrasive to an extreme, but the rest of the team held him in esteem nevertheless, always in awe of what he was able to accomplish as the only non-powered member of the team.

Now that she wasn't involved with Clark, Diana ruefully admitted to herself that while initially she'd been more attracted to Superman's awesome power and rugged good looks, Batman had always intrigued her. Now that she'd met Bruce Wayne firsthand, she could understand Lois's attraction to the Dark Knight. There was a rogue element to him that was attractive in a dangerous way. He was unpredictable, and that made him exciting.

She slept until five in the afternoon, then, after a quick shower, impulsively picked up the phone. Diana dialed Clark Kent's office number at the Daily Planet. She'd only called him there once in the six months they'd dated, but the circumstances - and her confusion about what she wanted – fueled her desire to talk to a friendly, familiar voice.

"Clark Kent's line," an unfamiliar female voice intoned. "How may I help you?"

"Is he in, please?"

"I think he stepped away for lunch, let me check."

Diana heard the phone being fumbled around for a few seconds then heard the woman loudly inquiring across the sea of cubicles as to Mr. Kent's location. Diana's mouth dropped in shock when she heard a male voice clearly ring out that he'd seen Clark leave for lunch with Lois a few minutes before.

The woman confirmed what Diana had heard a second later. "Apparently Mr. Kent stepped out to lunch. May I take a message?"

Diana's eyes narrowed with wounded pride as she considered her reply. She debated for a moment about whether to hang up, but decided to glean some additional information out of the assistant. "Is Lois in town for a meeting? Maybe I can drop in and say hello."

"He and Lois usually eat at the diner across the street," the woman replied helpfully. "But she just returned to the Metropolis bureau this morning. They might have gone someplace nicer on her first day back. Can I tell him that you called in case you miss him, or do you have his cell number?"

"No message necessary," Diana replied, suddenly certain of her next step. She replaced the receiver in the cradle, then allowed herself a laugh at the irony of the situation. "No wonder Bruce didn't bring her to Paris."

To be continued…

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Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in getting this story re-started. I got distracted on some RL things, and had some serious writer's block about the next phase of the story. I hope to get the next few chapters out with a bit more alacrity than I've demonstrated to date… HB


	9. Chapter 8 Oil & Water

**Chapter #8 – Do not go gentle…**

(Thanks to Princess and Djinn for the beta).

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The loss of the Javelin meant that all members of the team had to attend the after action report for the Kasnian mission. It was more out of necessity, as the destruction of their spaceplane meant that until a new one was delivered, the team would be forced to precisely coordinate future trips between the Earth and the Watchtower on the cargo shuttle. The alternative was to relegate Lantern to become the official space-taxi service for the League, and he'd already been privately grumbling about fulfilling that role before the Javelin exploded.

J'onn, Lantern, and Flash had flown from the Watchtower to the International Space Station that Vandal Savage's Kasnian forces had commandeered earlier that day at gunpoint. At the controls when the Kasnians blew the plane into tiny pieces, Flash contemplated whether he feared the cold emptiness of space more than Batman's impending wrath about the loss of the Javelin. As the plane came apart around them, Lantern had encapsulated his teammates in a protective plasma bubble then parked them next to a waiting airlock. After J'onn phased through the airlock and provided an entry point, the Leaguers methodically-took the Space Station from the Kasnian soldiers. Unfortunately, they were too late to stop the rail gun attached to the space station from launching a meteor strike directly at Kasnia. (Later they laughed when they learned Batman had re-targeted the meteor on top of Savage's lair), but Lantern blew the rail gun into pieces to ensure it would never again pose a threat to the Earth.

After they'd transferred the Kasnian astronauts into custody at the U.N., the trio flew back to the Watchtower in Lantern's protective bubble. With time to kill as they made the twenty-minute flight through the mesosphere, the men idly speculated about Batman's likely reaction to the Javelin's demise. Flash's teammates milked the situation for all it was worth, stoically suggesting various methods of resisting the impending torture that was undoubtedly to follow the after action report.

Upon their arrival at the Watchtower, Hawkgirl performed a quick doubletake, then asked, "Where's the Javelin?"

"Blown up," Flash replied, sheepishly avoiding her gaze.

"Batman is going to have kittens," she noted, eyebrows raised in bemusement.

"It was bound to happen eventually," Lantern replied, now weary of the joke. "The good news is we're all safe and sound. Where's everybody else?"

"Coming up on the shuttle," Hawkgirl informed him. "Why don't you three grab something to eat and we'll start the review in an hour?"

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Superman had just completed his pre-flight checkout of the shuttle when Hawkgirl had cryptically requested that he wait for two more passengers for their trip to the Watchtower. He'd been curious to know whom he was waiting for, but she'd terminated the conversation before he could ask their identity.

The shuttle terminal had a satellite television hook-up, so he spent the next hour watching news footage of Vandal Savage being carted away by the Kasnian Secret Police. Other video feeds reported the coup d'etat Savage had attempted in the Kasnian royal castle, while one station actually had footage of the castle being transformed into a smoking ruin by a meteor strike.

The news reports indicated some his teammates were responsible for Savage's arrest, but there wasn't any video to corroborate the eyewitness accounts. Superman knew Diana was supposed to be in Paris, so he assumed that she had volunteered for the mission with whoever was on Monitor Duty.

The duty roster indicated Lantern was next on the rotation and was therefore required to be in the Watchtower, so by default that meant the two additional passengers had to be Batman, J'onn, Flash or Diana.

With time to kill, Superman reflected for a moment about his relationship with Diana. While they'd parted on good terms, he knew himself well enough to admit he'd experienced a sense of relief that it was over. Diana's almost heartstopping beauty would be missed, but he took Lois's arrival in Metropolis as a sign that all was right in his world again. Part of him had missed playing the role of hero in Lois's absence but Diana never needed saving. As he thought about it, he realized that he was actually looking forward to saving Lois from her usual scrapes.

His thoughts were interrupted as the Batwing roared overhead. He expected Bruce to swing the plane around downwind and make an approach onto the runway, but the Dark Knight surprised him by arresting the plane's forward motion directly overhead. To avoid the jetwash, Superman retreated to the relative safety of the hangar to avoid the blast generated by the vector-thrust nozzles, but there was no escaping the whirlwind of dust that kicked up from the jet blast. The wheels touched the ground a moment later, then the plane taxied past him into the hangar.

The canopy popped open as soon as the jets spooled down. He opened his mouth to protest the unnecessary sandblasting he'd received, but to his surprise, Diana emerged from the jump-seat of the Batwing.

She gave him a little nod of greeting, then turned back to resume a conversation that was already in progress.

"So I can land the Javelin the same way? Since it's bigger, won't it stall more easily?"

Batman jumped down from the cockpit and gave an almost imperceptible nod to Superman as they started walking towards the shuttle.

"Provide enough power to the thrust nozzles to maintain flight, then fire the retro-thrusters at the right moment to arrest your forward momentum. Too much forward momentum and your nose will dip, providing a stall. Too much retro-thrust and you'll cartwheel the plane. The way you just did it was perfect."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at Batman intently. "Perfect?"

"Well, almost perfect. You gave the boy-scout here a little dust bath, but other than that, it was perfect."

Diana glanced over at Superman, then did a doubletake. . There was a fine coat of dust visible in his hair while his chin was smudged. Her expression lost its normal intensity, immediately replaced with sheer embarrassment.

"Clark, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to, really."

"No harm done," he assured her, then glanced at Batman as they boarded the shuttle. "You let Diana fly the Batwing all the way from Kasnia?"

Diana slipped into the pilot seat next to Superman and shook her head before Batman could answer. "No. That's a new one that we just picked up in Gotham. He plowed the old one into a battalion of Kasnian paratroopers when we were going after Savage."

She turned around in her chair, hoping to catch Batman's attention. Clark could hear that he'd already pulled a laptop from a sideboard to start returning Bruce Wayne's e-mails. "I haven't had a chance to properly thank you."

"Thank him for what?" Superman asked, piloting the shuttle out of the hangar.

"If he hadn't crashed his plane when he did, I'd be a goner for sure," Diana replied. "Too many incoming laser blasts to deflect at once. Not to mention that he broke me out of the dungeon."

"The dungeon?" Superman asked, eyebrows raised in bemused surprise. "Do tell."

"Savage knocked me out with a stun gun," Diana replied, clearly reliving the moment in her memory. "When I came to, I was restrained by an electrified wrist shackle. I couldn't budge it."

"The Kasnians borrowed that kinetic amplification system that Lex has used on you before," Batman muttered at the back of Superman's chair. "It reflects whatever force you apply against it, doubling your output."

Diana nodded in silent testimony to the effectiveness of the restraints. Superman snuck a glance her way and could tell by the set of her jaw how helpless she might have felt under the restraints. Having been in similar situations, he could empathize the frustration she'd obviously felt

"Anyway, Batman broke me out a few minutes later then we took down Savage," she concluded lamely.

Staring at the flush of her cheeks, Superman picked up on the fact that she was leaving out some important details.

"Sounds like a successful mission," he muttered, feigning disinterest. He couldn't place it exactly, but there was a smug satisfaction on her face that he didn't like. He decided to change topics.

"So how was Paris? See any sights?"

Diana pulled her eyes away from the navigational computer, then swiveled in her chair to face him. She was still wearing the same smug expression on her face that he hadn't seen before.

"Paris was fantastic," she allowed slowly. By the expression on her face, it was clear to Superman that she was savoring the memory.

"Fantastic? Really? How so?"

She nodded, her eyes clearly fixated on a pleasant memory from her trip. "Handsome men, great nightlife, beautiful hotels, I could go on forever. It really is the most romantic city in the world."

Superman thought he detected a grunt of affirmation from Batman, but he decided not to press the issue. Diana's expression was making him uncomfortable, so he decided to change the topic again. "I saw the news footage from Kasnia. How did you wind up there?"

Diana pointed at their still silent companion in the pilot's chair. "Mostly his doing, really. He uncovered a connection between an arms dealer and Vandal Savage's attempt to overthrow the Kasnian government. We followed Audrey to Kasnia then stopped Savage."

"I'm glad to hear you're all right." Superman replied, forcing a pleasant expression of indifference onto his face.

"And what about you? Any major developments in Metropolis?" Diana asked, leaning forward in her chair with interest. There was a glint in her eye that hinted she had an agenda, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Not that he ever could.

"Not really," he replied evasively.

"Lois moving back to Metropolis doesn't qualify as a major development?" Diana asked.

Superman's chin felt his chin drop to his chest. "Well, as a matter of fact, Lois did move back to Metropolis a few days ago. Did Batman tell you about that particular piece of news?"

"In his own, unique way, he did." Diana shot back, then swiveled back to study the navigational chart. She stole a long glance at Batman, then winked at Superman to rub it in. "He just doesn't talk about it much. It's part of his charm."

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Superman arrived back at his apartment in Metropolis on Sunday afternoon. He changed out of his uniform, then plopped down on the couch. Turning his already sullen mood even worse, he turned on the television to watch his favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs, getting creamed by the Denver Broncos. The memory of the look on Diana's face had driven him crazy during their staff meeting. Topping that, everyone was surprised that Batman wasn't angry about the loss of the Javelin.

As he watched the Broncos intercept another poorly thrown pass, Clark suspected that Bruce's normal brooding had been interrupted by the sights in Paris. Clark wondered exactly how many sights Bruce had seen in Paris. He would have bet even money that Diana had been one of them.

The phone rang. Munching on a chip, he picked it up quickly when he saw the caller id.

"Hello."

"Smallville!" Lois's cheery voice rang out. "Where you been? Chasing after interns?"

"Uhh…doing some research on a story. Something wrong?"

"Your answering machine broken? You don't seem to check your messages much these days," she replied, a hint of accusation in her voice. "I left you two messages to see if you wanted to have dinner tonight, but since you haven't called me back, I'll assume you're not available."

Clark stared at the phone as if it had just bit him on the ass. He quickly swung the receiver back to his ear. "I'm sorry Lois. Did you just invite me to dinner? Are you going to cook?"

"A: Yes. B: No," she replied. "I don't think Perry would forgive me if I poisoned two of his best reporters. Besides, there's a new Thai restaurant that just opened up a few blocks away from my place. The reviews are fabulous. Wanna go?"

"I know the place," Clark replied, still stunned. "Meet you there at eight?"

"Make it seven-thirty at my place," she replied, then as an afterthought added, "I prefer my dates to pick me up in person."

The phone line went dead. He looked at the receiver, trying to determine what had just transpired. No obvious answers occurred to him, but he could feel a sudden rush of adrenaline flush into his bloodstream. As Superman, that was usually a sign of impending battle.

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The warehouse that was selected as the meeting place was chosen for its remote location. Well away from prying ears or eyes that might leak the word that a cadre of supervillains had decided to hold a secret meeting, it also provided many routes of escape should a problem arise.

Prior to being sent away to prison by Superman a few years before, Toyman had used the warehouse to fabricate some of his most lethal weapons – some of which were still housed on the premises. He'd stewed in prison plotting his revenge for three long years before his conviction had been reversed on a legal technicality.. Some villains might have used that time to reform themselves into being productive members of society, but Toyman had used the time to devise a new strategy - teamwork.

It had taken him another three months since being freed to make the arrangements, but his perseverance had finally paid off. Around the table they sat – Kalibak, Weather Wizard, LiveWire and Metallo – all of them sworn enemies of Superman. Toyman had even gone to the trouble of drawing a red "S" – Superman's logo - onto the table in case they needed an excuse to focus their anger. Other villains had been considered to join this group, but Toyman had ultimately decided the five of them had the best chance of defeating Metropolis's favorite son.

"So it's settled then?" he asked after he outlined his plan. The amber glow of the blast furnace provided enough ambient light to see their faces. They all nodded in agreement, each of them focusing on their rage against the hero who had defeated all of them. Toyman picked up a dagger laid on the table in front of him and the others followed suit, raising it over the table.

"To the death of Superman," Toyman muttered.

"To the death of Superman," the rest answered back.

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Clark Kent was in trouble. As Superman, he'd stood toe to toe with Darkseid and won. He'd taken Mongul's best shots and laughed, knowing he still had untapped reservoirs of energy just waiting to be unleashed.

Unfortunately, the enemy that he faced today was even more daunting than either archenemy. There was no gloating face to smash with all of his might.

He was stuck in the 'friend zone' with Lois, and there seemed no escape from it.

The dinner had started well enough. Lois had greeted him at her apartment door wearing a silky, black dress that seemed to suggest the possibility for romantic night out on the town. Despite her dressing the part, during the dinner she had remained aloof – more reserved than she'd ever been at work. Careful not to press the issue as the dress had inspired some of his base instincts, Clark had managed the burden of carrying the conversation for most of the night. Unfortunately, even when Lois had joined in the ripostes, her stories usually ended up involving something that had occurred during her time in Gotham with Bruce. The ensuing silences were awkward, but determined to make the best of it, Clark busied himself making small-talk to ensure the evening didn't go completely down the toilet.

After they'd picked their way through the pad-thai and paid the check, he finally decided to confront the issue head on as they walked back to her apartment.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Don't play daft. Bruce. You miss him."

Lois sighed. "I wish it was just that simple, Smallville, but its pretty complicated. I've been back here long enough to realize that I should have never left Metropolis, and I know myself well enough to know that he and I just were just never meant to be."

"I know what you mean," Clark blurted. "I felt the same way about Lana."

Lois interest was suddenly piqued. "How come you never talk about her?"

"You never asked."

"I'm asking now." Lois leaned into him. Her touch felt electric to him as she lightly caressed his arm with her fingertips. "What's the story with you two?"

"Probably like a lot of first loves," Clark answered, searching for the best way to articulate it. "A lot of puppy love and a lot of immaturity. Ultimately it was more about each leading an independent life more than anything else. She wanted to be a fashion designer, and now she's world-renowned. Problem was there just wasn't any place in her life for a long-term commitment. She's too skittish, and I wasn't willing to play second fiddle to her career."

"Do you still love her?" Lois asked, then covered her mouth with embarrassment. "I know I'm a reporter, but I can't believe I asked you that!"

Clark smiled reassuringly that no harm had been done. "I guess in a way, you always love your first love, you know? She knows almost everything about me. More than anybody in the world, really. These days, it's more like a platonic, brother-sister thing. I know that she'll always be there for me if I need her, and she knows the reverse is true. We're in a good place. How about you? How did you leave it with Bruce?"

"I wish I could say we're in a good place, but we're not. We haven't spoken since I left Gotham. It's kind of sad when you think about it. Turns out that Bruce was my first love. I didn't know that's what it was until I lost it."

"Really? What about Lex? Weren't there other boyfriends along the way besides him?"

"Lex? Lex was a distraction and a walking credit card in the early days when I barely had enough money to pay my rent. Boyfriends? Yes. But I never really loved any of them. Had some dates and some laughs, but nothing that really counted. I didn't fall in love for real until I met Bruce."

She took a deep breath and stopped under the awning of her apartment. "That being said, I never realized until you were out of my life how much I counted on you. Can I ask you another personal question?"

"Sure."

"Was I right that night at the Planet when I accused you of being jealous?"

He searched his memory, then remembered with a pang of regret the night that he'd accused Lois of abandoning him as a friend. She couldn't know that when she'd given up the secret rendezvous with Superman that it had caused him considerable grief. Clark had taken it out on her, unfairly since she still didn't know the connection.

He took in a deep breath then let it out. _Roll the dice, Clark!_ "I think that is a fair assessment."

"That is very sweet," Lois said, savoring the reply. "You've been there all along for me, but I've always been too obsessed with billionaires and men wearing capes to see it."

"See what?" he asked.

"This," she whispered, then softly found his mouth with hers. Clark felt his eyes almost bulge out far enough to touch the lenses of his glasses when she kissed him, then he returned her embrace with the same, soft tenderness. They stayed that way for a few minutes until they finally parted, panting with desire and eyes wide with shock at how right it felt. She fumbled with her keys to open the door, then dragged him to the elevator. Clark winked at the building concierge, then swept her up in his arms when the elevator doors closed behind them.

It wasn't until they'd entered her apartment and started pawing at each other that Clark realized the extent of his predicament. He was wearing his uniform under his suit, and he didn't think that Lois was up for the shock that she'd been duped a second time by another superhero leading a dual life. She pulled him onto the couch on top of her, greedily sucking his tongue between her teeth, but finally slowed down when he brushed her hand away from his shirt buttons for the third time.

"What's wrong?" She sighed. "Get cold feet when you hook up with a co-worker?"

He sank back into the cushions, shaking his head.

"What is it then?" she demanded. "Are we going too fast? I can slow down if you need me to. You're probably worried that I'm setting you up to be a rebound bonk but trust me, it wouldn't be like that."

"It's not that," he replied lamely, then jumped off the couch and started pacing nervously across the living room floor.

She watched him pace for another minute, frustrated at his inability to express himself. "Are you going to say something?"

"I've got something to tell you, but I don't know how."

"Are you gay?"

"No!"

"Impotent?"

"No!"

"Then what is it then? A physical deformity? I'm willing to try if you are."

"Lois, just stop. It's not any of those things."

The relief on her face was evident, but there was also a healthy display of fear as she waited for him to reveal his secret. Clark studied her face for a moment, then decided it would be easier to show her rather than tell her.

"Its something that I would prefer to show you, so if you don't mind, can I use your bathroom?"

"By all means," Lois replied, still perplexed. "Down the hall on your left."

Clark had closed the door behind him when the communicator hidden in his ear crackled with J'onn's voice. "Superman, we are monitoring a situation in Metropolis."

"Go ahead, J'onn." He replied, triggering the voice activator with his index finger.

"Some of your enemies have apparently joined forces. They're tearing the financial district apart," J'onn noted in his familiar monotone. "Metallo is with them and the last intel we have indicates he has a new kryptonite power-core. The rest of us should engage in moments. Do not engage until we have dealt with Metallo, understood?"

"Understood," Clark replied, then changed into his Superman uniform in a matter of seconds. He hung his clothes up on the bathroom door as he changed. "I'll hover a few miles up until I know he's out of the picture."

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, took a deep breath, trying to determine a plan of action. A second door from the bathroom entered onto the extra bedroom in Lois's apartment. He pushed open the door as silently as he could so that her curiosity wouldn't be aroused, then he scribbled a few lines onto a post it note and secured it to the bathroom mirror. He was about to depart when he spied a Superman picture on the front page of the Daily Planet next to one of Lois's by-lines. He couldn't resist making a few artistic alterations to the picture, then taped it to the note next to the post-it. He heard Lois calling his name when he took flight off her balcony, but there was no time for a proper goodbye.

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As Superman looked down on the streets below, he saw first-hand the battle between the League and his would-be assassins was a case study in the effectiveness of teamwork.

Well aware that Metallo was the only one of their foes who could kill him with a single stroke, Flash and Diana immediately employed her lasso like the bowstring on a crossbow. While she anchored one end, Flash circled around Metallo then drew the line taut. They allowed themselves a moment to enjoy the spectacle of Metallo being flung twenty miles across town and most importantly, out of the fight.

Across the street, Livewire knocked down J'onn with a lightning blast then attempted to flank Flash and Diana by zipping through the power lines strung between the buildings. Flash anticipated the move, grounding the ends of the lines into a nearby puddle. Livewire shocked herself into a coma when she emerged, unable to control her electric discharge.

On the perimeter, Lantern and Hawkgirl did their best to keep the onlookers safe as the Weather Wizard summoned a lightning storm. One of the bolts incapacitated J'onn and a secondary explosion dropped a pile of rubble onto Flash, pinning him under its weight. Weather Wizard grinned at his helpless archenemy, then directed a lightning strike at the Scarlet Speedster. Diana returned to help, deflecting the lightning away with her bracelets. As the Weather Wizard screamed with frustration, Batman knocked him out from behind, securing the weather wand before it went critical.

Down to two from their original group of five, an enraged Kalibak surprised Wonder Woman with a vicious roundhouse that sent her reeling into a nearby building. He attempted to retrieve the weather wand to cover their retreat, but Batman refused to back down from the Apokiliptan giant.

"Do you think you can defeat me, little man?" Kalibak shouted as he threw two haymakers at the Dark Knight, who easily sidestepped the punches. "I just took out the Amazon with one punch."

"I don't have to defeat you," Batman replied smugly as he grabbed Kalibak's arm and threw him over his shoulder in a classic judo throw. "I just have to stall you."

"Stall me?" Kalibak asked, brushing off the dust before stalking his quarry once again. "For what?"

"Him," Batman replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder as Superman touched down.

Before he knew what hit him, Kalibak flew backwards through the air, unconscious from Superman's punch before the building fell on top of him.

"For what it's worth, Kalibak. I don't think that you could have taken Batman either," Superman taunted, then went airborne after him to make sure that Kalibak was out of the fight. Before Superman had a chance to pick through the rubble to finish him off, a huge red robot emerged at the next intersection, distracting him from his task. Sizing up the robot, he easily dodged two green orbs of energy that emerged from the weapon on the robot's chest, then realized that Toyman was perched in a cockpit on top, directing the energy blasts.

"Give it up Toyman," he yelled, easily weaving in and out of the green orbs of energy. "You'll never hit me with that thing."

"Maybe not," Toyman replied, then centered the weapon's crosshairs on Wonder Woman and Batman. "But what about your friends?"

Superman blanched with horror when he realized Toyman's intent. Still groggy from Kalibak's punch, Diana had not yet regained her senses. Batman was trying to pull her out of harm's way, but one of her boots was stuck in the rubble that had come down around her. There was no way they could escape the energy blast Toyman launched their way.

"No!" Superman shouted, then dove to intercept the blast before it reached his teammates. He glowed green for a split-second as he merged with the energy field, then his body flashed as if he was being x-rayed, then he disappeared from sight.

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Diana gasped in horror and pulled her boot free. Enraged, she almost knocked Batman onto the rubble when she took flight, quickly matching the robot's height. In one punchToyman's monstrosity was laid out on its back. She quickly pulled Toyman out of the cockpit, raising the diminutive figure to eye height with her left hand while her right hand pulled back, cocked and waiting to unload.

"What are you going to do to me?" Toyman shrieked.

"I'm going to punch a hole through your head," Diana replied, tears of rage brimming from her eyes. She hesitated long enough for Flash to grab her hand.

"Don't do it Diana," he pleaded.

The rest of the League gathered around Toyman, still in shock that Superman had vanished in front of their eyes. Only Batman stood off to the side, poking through the area below where Superman had disappeared. He found a strip of Superman's cape still intact, and quietly melted away from the scene.

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Lois sat speechless in front of the television. On the coffee table in front of her, the post-it note said "Turn on Snapper, I'm going to work!" Next to it sat a picture of Superman with a hastily drawn scribble of Clark Kent's glasses imposed on Superman's face.

Not knowing that he'd flown off the balcony a few minutes before, Lois had finally grown weary of calling after him in the bathroom. When there was no answer, she'd opened the door. Lois witnessed her shock firsthand in the reflection of the mirror as she'd realized the gravity of what he'd been trying to tell her in the living room prior to his sudden departure.

Stunned with the revelation that she'd fallen for another member of the anonymous superheroes club, Lois had retreated into the living room and flipped on the television to see if Clark – or was it Superman? – was on.

The footage of the League's battle against Toyman and the rest of the villains was difficult to make out as the television station had tapped into the police security cameras mounted across the street. Despite the poor quality of the video, there was no mistaking the fact that Superman had been engulfed in one of Toyman's energy blasts before disappearing from view.

Lois screamed in horror when Superman disappeared, then regained her senses, reassuring herself that she'd seen him emerge unscathed from far worse than that. As the League rounded up the rest of the villains, Snapper had repeatedly replayed the video of Superman's disappearance. Lois turned off the television after she saw the expression on Green Lantern's face.

She knew then that Superman was dead.

The tears welled non-stop for an hour before she detected a hint of movement on her balcony. Convinced he'd returned to her, she flung open the doors in joy, only to be crushed to find it was Batman.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered bitterly, retreating back to the couch.

"I came to check on you," Batman replied, shutting the door behind him. "I got here as soon as I could."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Like I said, I came here as soon as I could."

"No, idiot," she whispered, then motioned towards the doctored newspaper photo that Clark had doctored. "Why didn't you tell me who he was?"

Batman nodded. He didn't tell Lois, but he'd spent the last hourmaking his way across Metropolis, wondering if Superman had finally had the balls to spill that particular secret before his demise. To him, the timing was tragic.

"It wasn't my place to say," Batman replied. "You never told him my identity, although he was aware of it from the day I first came to Metropolis. Professional courtesy, I guess."

"Professional courtesy?" she spat. "I looked like an idiot for four years mooning over Superman and complaining to Clark that I could never find the right guy, when all along he was the same man?"

"You're not the first one to be fooled, Lois," Batman replied gently. "Trust me; people see what they want to see most of the time. Your first impression of Clark was that he was a fish out of water from Kansas who wore coke bottle glasses, therefore he couldn't be Superman. People see me hit on executives wives at the country club and assume that I'm too busy philandering to be Batman."

"But I'm a reporter, Bruce!" she retorted. "I'm trained to look beyond those things and look for the truth."

"Ever hear the old adage that the safest bank to rob is the one closest to a police station," he replied. "Same principle applied. You were always looking for Superman up in the sky when he was working at the desk next to you. It was brilliant on his part, really."

"I think that's the first nice thing that you ever said about him," Lois lamented, then her face contorted with her anguish. "It's just not fair! The day comes where my life finally makes sense and now I've lost him. The worst part is that I woke up this morning having the epiphany that I left Gotham not because I wanted to get away from you, but because I wanted to be here with him."

"I know. That's why I let you go without putting up a fight."

Lois laughed at the irony. "The Dark Knight takes one for the team. Is that why you are here? To ease your sense of guilt? After all, he died today saving you and Wonder Woman."

To her surprise, she could almost feel him cringe under the cowl. He spun on his heels and headed for the door. "You of all people should know me better than that. By the way, don't give up hope. I don't think he's dead."

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The preparations for the memorial service were staggering. The morning after Superman had disappeared without a trace, Diana and John were elected by their teammates to serve as the representatives for the League. For the next three days, the two met with various federal, state, and city agencies to ensure that security and other preparations would be adequate for what was quickly amounting to a head of state funeral.

In the meantime, Flash, Hawkgirl, and J'onn stepped up their security patrols around the world, intent on sending out the message that despite the loss of their strongest teammate, the League was still a formidable presence.

Batman's failure to help with monitor duty or aid in their diplomatic efforts put a strain on all of them. From an executive apartment the League used in Metropolis, during her downtime Diana caught mounting snippets of complaints among her teammates about Batman's disappearance. Wanting to nip the problem in the bud before it became an issue, she decided to confront the problem directly. After she and Lantern concluded the last of their meetings the morning of the memorial service, Diana flew to Gotham.

Using the entrance he'd shown her after their return from Kasnia, Diana touched down gently next to the new Batwing she'd flown a few days before. She turned and strode toward the only source of light in the Cave, a large computer screen. Batman was sitting at the controls, poring over an endless video loop of Superman's last moments on Earth. Diana could tell that Batman knew she was in the Cave, but he pointedly ignored her until she was a few feet away.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready to attend the funeral instead of beating yourself up over the loss of a teammate?" she asked. "It wasn't your fault."

"Why should I go to his funeral if he's not really dead?" he replied, slowly spinning in his chair to face her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled. "We both saw him disappear in that energy blast. It obliterated him in an instant like the rest of those buildings and cars."

"Unless the fundamental laws of physics have changed in the last few days, then he's alive and well somewhere."

"Based on what?" she challenged.

"I've gone over every shred of physical evidence from the scene of the battle," Batman noted, pointing at a huge pile of rubble and debris strewn about in a corner of the Cave. "And there's no sign of his DNA signature anywhere in that pile."

"Your point?"

"The point is, unless the reaction was a nuclear explosion – which it wasn't - then matter cannot be made or destroyed. It can only be altered from one form into another. If Superman had been obliterated in that explosion, I should have found pieces of bone, hair, dura or tissue."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing," he replied with smug satisfaction. "He wasn't destroyed, ergo he isn't dead."

Diana put her hands on her hips, struggling to determine whether or not her teammate was in complete denial while at the same time trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Then what happened to him?"

"I'm working on a few theories, but I don't have anything conclusive – yet."

"Well, whatever happened to him, in the meantime don't you think it would be appropriate to honor his memory at the memorial service?"

"Don't patronize me, Diana," he snapped. "My attendance at that service would be an admission that he's gone. That's not going to happen."

Visibly shaken by the anger in his voice, Diana turned to leave but stopped after a few steps. "That's not fair, Bruce, and you know it. This has been hard on all of us, but it doesn't give you the right to turn your back on your teammates when we need you. I know it's not fair for me to ask, but I need you to be there for me today. So does Lois."

He returned her gaze for a moment, then went back to his computer. "No promises, Princess."

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After her troubling encounter with Batman at the cave, Diana had returned to the apartment in Metropolis to find Hippolyta waiting for her, a bag filled with Diana's ceremonial armor in tow. To her credit, Hippolyta had decided to put their long-simmering feud to rest for at least a day and lend her emotional support at the funeral. Diana was grateful for the selfless act, and hoped that it represented a shift in the direction of their current frosty relationship.

They elected to fly to the memorial service. As she looked at the denizens of Metropolis, she could feel their hopes rise in anticipation when they spied the human silhouettes speeding above them. Diana also saw the disappointment on their faces when they realized that it wasn't Superman. After a few such encounters, Diana motioned her mother to follow her down to the sidewalk. They walked the last ten blocks.

The attendees list was staggering. At least five other members of the Corps made an appearance, while Fate, Orin, and their spouses also showed up. Politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities were in abundance. After she'd guided her mother to a pew two rows from the front, Diana sat next to Flash, J'onn, Hawkgirl and Lantern in the first row. She recognized the Kent and Kara a few rows back sitting between Lois and Lana. Although the public wasn't aware of their role as Superman's adopted parents, the family had decided to attend the service anyway, mourning with the rest of the public. Staring at them, Diana experienced a pang of regret that her relationship with Clark had never progressed to the point where family introductions were necessary. She felt that she knew all of them intimately from the stories he'd told her, but none of them – save Lois perhaps – were aware of the role she'd recently played in his life.

The crowd collectively gasped in surprise when Luthor appeared. As he'd walked down the aisle to take a seat in one of the pews, Diana had been tempted to personally remove him from the premises. That Lois had beat her to the punch was somewhat of a surprise – even more so was the fact that Lois and Lex ended up providing solace to each other. It was odd how the death of a man like Clark could even make the worst enemies temporarily call a truce.

She hoped it would last.

Batman's absence at the cathedral was notable to all of the attendees. J'onn delayed his eulogy by five minutes, hoping that the Dark Knight would show, but each time the doors opened, an unfamiliar face scurried to find a last minute seat.

Flash nudged her in the ribs. "I can't believe Bats didn't show."

"He doesn't handle loss very well," Diana replied with a shrug, then focused on J'onn. As the Martian started his speech, Diana thought about Batman for a moment, then remembered the incident in Gorilla City when she'd woken up under the warhead to him shouting her name. That period in their history was arguably the most contentious, yet he'd been willing to scrape his hands to the bone if necessary to dig her out. _No, he doesn't handle loss very well at all._

J'onn finished his eulogy, then it took the funeral procession a half an hour to walk from the cathedral down Fifth Avenue to the obelisk shrine that had been created to honor Superman's memory. Bereft of a body inside, Diana and her League teammates – less Batman - easily hefted the weight of the casket.

As they neared the Granite S-shaped obelisk in Central Park, Diana detected a shift in a shadow on a rooftop to her right. She felt no need to go on the defensive as there was something reassuring about the shadow. His cowl peeked around the corner of a chimney for a moment, staring right at her. She was holding the casket with her left hand and carried the polished battle shield her mother had brought from Themyscira in her right, so she couldn't wave, but she managed to nod at him.

Diana knew it was the best he could offer, and honored him for it.

As the League lowered the coffin onto its final resting place, Diana recited the lines to "Do not go gentle into That Good Night." It was a poem by Dylan Thomas that Clark had introduced to her as one of the finest examples of recent works in Man's World.

She'd liked it immediately then, and thought it more than appropriate now.

As she finished the last verse, Diana dropped a red rose on the coffin, then walked back down Fifth Avenue with her teammates. As they bade farewell to the other mourners, Diana spied Lois walking toward her. As they came together, Lois simply pressed a note into her hand, then walked past her on the way to the coffin.

She opened the note and read the contents_. Please stop by Clark's apartment at eight tonight. His parent's have asked that some of his friends visit for the wake._

Diana turned and realized that Lois was looking her way, and she nodded, affirming her intention to make an appearance. Lois nodded back, then escorted the Kents away from the park.

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	10. Chapter 9 Coda

**Chapter #9 – Coda**

_Thanks to Princess Paula and Djinn for the Beta of this story. _

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After a long, silent walk back from the shrine to their fallen teammate, Diana watched her teammates collect their belongings from the League's apartment. Promising to catch up with them the next day, she walked to the balcony so she could watch them soar into the air. They disappeared into the skyline, heading south to the hidden shuttle base for the return flight to the Watchtower.

It was her second farewell in as many hours. Diana had already exchanged a quick farewell with her mother before the funeral procession had even started down Fifth Avenue. Hippolyta had spent the entire memorial service fidgeting one row behind the League. Diana knew her mother's moods well enough to leave her alone. Her mother was clearly uncomfortable in the proximity of so many men, so Diana quietly sent Hippolyta back to Themyscira with a heartfelt embrace and a promise to keep in touch.

She entered the apartment through the French-doors, then headed for the bedroom. Stopping in the doorway, Diana started peeling off the ceremonial tunic in favor of a dress she thought appropriate for the reception at Clark's apartment. The tunic covered her armor, including the breastplate Hephaestus had fashioned for her mother an eon before.

She'd just unbuckled the last fastener to her breastplate when a forced cough from the corner alerted her to the presence of another in the room.

Startled, Diana gazed into the corner, then smiled when she realized her intruder's identity. "You have a gift for catching me in various states of undress. Am I to presume you wish to make it a habit? I may have to start wearing something a bit more provocative underneath."

"I've been called many things, Princess, but a peeping tom is not one of them," Batman's voice floated out, then he emerged from the shadows. Taking a circuitous route around her, he tried to skirt past her for the door. "I'll give you some privacy."

Still blocking the doorway, Diana made no effort to move. Unable to get around her, he stopped a few feet away, patiently waiting for her to step aside. Clutching the breastplate to her bare skin, Diana sneaked a quick glance downward to see if her privacy had been violated. She chuckled at her clumsy attempt to salvage her dignity, then decided to provoke the Dark Knight. She raised her eyes to his again, and there was intensity in his expression that she found attractive. She raised her eyebrows, daring him to follow her next move. Diana held her breath, then dropped the breastplate. The metal clattered as it hit the floor, landing at his feet.

"It's not like you haven't seen me like this before," Diana noted. She licked her lips coyly, providing another challenge – and an invitation – to her quarry.

Batman didn't answer. She hoped that his base, male instincts would once again override all logical thought, just as they had done on the island. He said nothing, but she could hear the deep, measured inhalations of the yoga technique she'd learned from him when she'd nearly drowned in Atlantis. On the surface, Bruce succeeded in maintaining his rigid control, however the air conditioning suddenly increased its output dramatically, responding to the sudden increase of the temperature in the room.

Diana continued to stare at him, almost at eye-level as they were near equal in height. He maintained his rigid countenance until a minute twitch of his upper lip betrayed him.

It was the most she could hope for.

Knowing how hard it was for Batman to bear the thought of losing control, Diana smiled at his predicament. Giving him one last eyeful, she slowly turned her back to him, pulled a blouse out of a drawer, then dropped it over her head, pulling it down until she was covered. By the time she turned around to face him again, he'd slipped away into the safety of the living room. She followed him, idly wondering where the raw passion that he'd displayed that day at the lake had gone. But Diana had to admit that she found his unpredictable behavior attractive.

"Thank you for coming today," she said, pulling a bottled water from the fridge. She offered one to him but he declined with a quick shake of his head. "I know you and Superman always had your differences, but it meant a lot to me. Why did you change your mind?"

"Ten thousand people in the crowd and you manage to pick me out of the one place where there was no cover," he grumbled, then his head drooped. "I thought about what you said. While I still don't believe he's dead, it made sense to go."

"I'm glad that we had a chance to part as friends," Diana said. "We'd gotten along better the last few days than the whole time we were dating."

"That's true for every relationship I've ever had."

Diana smiled, well aware his admission was as much of a window into his personal life as she was likely to get. His jaw tightened, a betrayal of his anxiety about sharing anything personal about himself, but she didn't want him to leave just yet.

She thought it best to change the subject. "Any news on your theory?"

"Only that I'm more convinced than ever that he's not dead," Batman replied, then his eyes narrowed. "What did Lois give you at the memorial service?"

"And I thought you were suddenly developing an unhealthy obsession with me," Diana replied, rolling her eyes. "The Kent's are having a reception at Clark's apartment in a half an hour. Lois knew we had some history, so she was kind enough to pass along the invitation."

"Give them my regards."

"You should come, too." Diana blurted quickly, momentarily forgetting his aversion to any situation that required intimacy or a display of emotion. But her thoughts grew more animated as she debated the merits of the idea. "If you really think that he's not dead, then perhaps you could let the Kent's know about your theory."

"I could do them more harm then good if I'm wrong," he replied with a hard shake of his head. "Giving somebody false hope is probably the cruelest thing one could do in a time like this."

"Batman is admitting the possibility that he could be wrong?" Diana smirked. Pretending to be aghast at the idea, she couldn't resist needling him a little further. "Should we write down the date and time for posterity's sake?"

"I'm not wrong about him not being dead," Batman noted, pulling open the door onto the balcony. "I just don't know what happened to him - yet."

"What should I tell them?"

"Tell them I'm working on it."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Hoping to blend in with the other attendees she presumed would be at the reception, Diana elected to wear a simple black dress that covered her uniform handily. With her hair pulled back in a bun and having traded her boots (tucked neatly in her handbag) for a pair of simple black pumps, she'd attracted only one wolf whistle from a construction worker during the ten-block walk over to Clark's apartment.

Lana Lang opened the door. Diana looked down at the petite red-head, who did a quick double take when she realized she was staring eye to chest at another female. Diana was used to the reaction as Lana was clearly stunned by Diana's height, tilting her head back far enough to be able to look her in the eye. Rousing herself, Lana politely opened the door a little wider, allowing Diana enough room to pass by. Diana walked into the living room and was surprised to find that, including herself; there were only six people in the room, five of who were female.

Jonathan and Martha Kent rose from the couch and greeted her warmly. Lois and Kara nodded a polite greeting from the kitchen, but that was the extent of the reception.

"Diana – or is it Princess Diana – thank you so much for stopping by," Martha said with a forced smile. To Diana, Martha looked ten years older than the picture Clark displayed on the mantle from Christmas the year before. The emotional toll the poor woman had undergone was obviously having a physical effect as well.

"Diana is fine. Thank you for the invitation. It was most kind."

"Not at all," Jonathan rejoined, shaking her head with a firm grip. "I'm so sorry that we haven't met before. Clark told us about his teammates in the League, but we could just never bring ourselves to take him up on his invitation to visit that spaceship you all live in."

"I hope you realize the offer still stands. He has – or had – a room down the hall from me. You may want to stop by and tour his room so that you can retrieve his personal effects."

Jonathan's closed his eyes in pain as Diana stumbled along with her invitation. She kicked herself for being so obtuse about Clark's belongings, but the older man steadied himself a moment later.

"That's very kind of you. I'll talk to Martha about it and see if she wants to head to outer space for a day. Might be fun. Can I get you something to drink?"

"A glass of white wine, please."

Jonathan sauntered off to the sidebar, retrieving a bottle of Russian River Chardonnay from the mini-fridge. He struggled to remove the cork then managed to spill a few drops on her shoes, so Diana attempted some small talk to put him at ease. "Please have Lois give me a call if you ever get the urge to visit with us. Besides," she noted, pointing at Kara in the kitchen. "It's not as if Supergirl won't be filling his shoes soon."

Diana heard a gasp across the room as Martha put her hand over her mouth in horror at the idea. Martha stared at Jonathan, clearly in shock over the idea that Kara might soon be placed in the same harm's way that had taken Clark away from them so quickly. Diana saw her expression and realized that she'd made another faux paus. She chided herself for verbalizing such a thought in front of Kara's adopted mother, especially during such a difficult time. By the look on their faces Diana realized that neither of them had even considered that possibility. She tried thinking of something to mollify them, but fortunately Lana came to her rescue.

"Of course, she's still a little young for League membership," Lana observed. "Besides, isn't it true that Batman won't even let any of his team in Gotham visit the Watchtower? He'd probably veto Kara's membership based on her inexperience."

"Don't get me started on Batman," Lois smirked from the kitchen doorway. "He didn't even show up for the funeral today."

"He was there," Diana blurted.

"Hiding in the shadows I take it?"

"Something like that."

"Superman – I mean Clark – deserved better from him."

"He doesn't handle loss well," Diana replied lamely.

"Who does?" Lois retorted.

There was an air of tension in the room as Diana tried to find the right words to placate the woman before her, so Diana was grateful when Lois turned to Martha Kent. "Martha, could you help Kara in the kitchen? I'm all thumbs when it comes to chopping vegetables."

"Of course, dear," Martha replied. Jonathan and Lana volunteered to help, leaving Lois and Diana alone in the living room a moment later.

"Ms. Lane, I really am very sorry about Superman," Diana said gently. "When did you discover his dual identity?"

"About ten minutes before Toyman obliterated him," Lois replied. "And please, call me Lois."

Diana nodded. Confused about the small turnout, she looked around the room. "Should we expect more people to arrive later on?"

Lois shook her head emphatically, then steered Diana out onto the balcony to avoid prying ears in the kitchen. "These people are the only ones who knew that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person. We're hoping Clark Kent can disappear at the same time without the rest of the world putting the missing pieces together."

"Any ideas?"

"I already told my boss that Clark called me on his way to the financial district to get a first-hand account of the battle. He hasn't shown up for work since, obviously, so Perry's starting to get worried that Clark is buried in the rubble. We'll have to go through the trauma of attending another funeral for appearance's sake, but hopefully my plan will keep Clark's identity secret. Especially for the Kents sake. They've been through enough already."

Diana nodded again, then a thought dawned on her. "I don't mean to pry, but how did Clark tell you about Superman?"

"He tried to tell me while I was molesting him," Lois replied with a wry smile. "But he couldn't bring himself to it, so he drew his glasses onto a newspaper photo of Superman and left me a note telling me to turn on the news footage. Ten minutes later Toyman blew him to kingdom-come."

"It must have been quite a shock."

"To say that I was shocked is the understatement of the year," Lois said, her eyes wetting with tears. "It's a shame, really. We had a memorial service today for Clark Kent, only people didn't know it. Superman was just what he could do."

"I fell for Superman before I got to know Clark Kent," Diana admitted with a sigh. "As much as I wanted to, I never fell in love with Clark. It was stupid on my part, really…to fall for an ideal rather than the man himself. No wonder we didn't work out."

"Join the club. First time I saw him soar above the skyline, I almost wet my pants. Clark shows up at the Daily Planet at the same time, knocking over desks like the hayseed he wanted us to see. We worked together for three years and I never glanced Clark's way unless I wanted to tease him about something. It wasn't until I moved to Gotham that I realized how much I missed Clark – even more than Superman, probably, though you might have played some part in that."

"I'm sorry that I stepped between you two," Diana murmured. "If it makes you feel any better, I think he started dating me to get over losing you."

"Timing is everything in life, isn't it?" Lois asked. "I finally decided to do the smart thing and leave Gotham and set things right with Clark, then this happens."

"The Fates are often unkind."

"I'm not sure how much I think the Fates had to do with it. An impulsive romance with a certain billionaire in Gotham for a year didn't help matters. Odd thing is, they couldn't be more different.

Clark patiently waited for me to figure out how I felt, whereas Bruce was just full throttle from day one."

"He misses you."

"Who does?"

"Bruce. Batman."

"He said that?"

"Not in so many words, but I've learned to read his moods pretty well."

"Mr. 'Dark and Brooding' not verbally forthcoming? Get used to it, Princess." Lois retorted, then her expression changed and she pointed a finger at Diana. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

"I'm not sure," Diana admitted. "There is something…intriguing about him, to be sure."

"Like boys in tights, do you?" Lois asked with a laugh. "Maybe we should charter a club."

Diana nodded in agreement, then feeling a certain kinship with a woman whom she'd just met, decided to take her into her confidence. "My experience with men is pretty limited," Diana admitted. "Well, at least men of this era. They're much more complex than in ancient times. Hawkgirl is the only other woman that I can talk to about any of this, but she's so pragmatic about everything that it's just not practical. She's always telling me, 'Take whatever you can grab, Diana.' or 'Don't knock it until you try it.' I need something better than carpe diem."

Lois seemed to think about it for a minute before replying. "I wish I could warn you away from Bruce, but I can't. He's intelligent, resourceful, and loyal to a fault. With the exception of a few wicked scars crisscrossing his body, he's a modern-day Adonis. The only downside to Bruce is Batman, and I could just never learn to deal with that."

"He isn't the easiest man in the world to deal with," Diana admitted. "He made me so angry when I suggested the formation of the League that I went home to Themyscira, convinced I'd never see any of them again. He showed up on Themyscira a few weeks later to track down Aresia, then suddenly I'm a full-time member. It wasn't until months later that I realized he'd manipulated the formation of the League on his own terms."

"He is manipulative," Lois agreed. "And emotionally unavailable."

"He is all of those things," Diana admitted. "But he is brilliant and insightful, to be sure. How he ever figured out that Superman and I started seeing each other I will never know."

"Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes," Lois snorted. "Not that he would ever admit it to me, but I could tell you were getting under his skin as well."

"How so?"

"He told me more about you than the rest of the team combined," Lois answered with a wry shrug.

"What happened between you two?"

"A part of me will always adore him, really. But when he pulls down that cowl, something happens to him. He's already borderline obsessed without it, but once he's got the uniform on, something happens that is just too surreal. I couldn't deal with it anymore, and I realized that I missed Clark." She added the last part softly, as if in reverence.

Diana didn't want to debate the point, so she decided to remain neutral. "Well, he's obviously got issues, but I still admire him. He never gives up. Do you know that he thinks there is a chance that Clark is still alive?"

Lois's eyes widened. "He told you, too? I thought he was just trying to make me feel better. I know he doesn't express himself a lot, but I could tell that he was hurting that day. I always blamed myself for driving a wedge between them."

"It wasn't your fault," Diana spoke quickly, placing her hand on Lois's shoulder with a reassuring shake. "So you've got good taste in men. It could be worse."

Lois laughed, then looked Diana in the eye. "I saw what you almost did to Toyman. What stopped you?"

"Flash," Diana muttered bitterly. "He told me that's not how Superman would have wanted justice served, so I spared Toyman."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Do I believe that Superman would have killed Toyman if the tables were turned? No. I think his experience leading Darkseid's army in the invasion of Earth two years ago scarred him so much that Superman could never take a life, even if it was warranted. Superman wouldn't talk to me for days after our battle with Darkseid. He blamed me for removing him from the field before he'd finished Darkseid once and for all. The problem is that I don't think he could have finished Darkseid even if the opportunity presented itself. Superman knew that, and it tore him up. That was probably the last straw for us."

"So would you have killed Toyman if Flash hadn't stopped you?" Lois asked.

"I would be lying if I said otherwise."

"You're much different than either Bruce or Clark in that regard."

"I would have been happy to kill Toyman to ensure he never harmed another soul on this planet. It wouldn't have bothered me in the least."

"Pretty harsh viewpoint by our society's standards."

"The Amazons are a peaceful society," Diana pointed out. "But we also understand that the world is a dangerous place. Our history demands eternal vigilance to ensure we do not suffer the same fates that befell our sisters so many centuries ago. Part of that vigilance requires taking the fight to the enemy. I've been actively campaigning for the League to be more pro-active in dealing with threats like Toyman and other criminals who are incapable of reforming themselves, but I've been outvoted at every turn."

"What would you do? Lock them up in the Watchtower?"

"One possibility," Diana admitted, then dropped her voice in a confidential whisper. "Or place them in the Phantom Zone. Either idea would be preferable to having the world's supervillains pick us off one by one. We wouldn't be standing here having this conversation if my methods were employed. Clark would be alive."

Diana suddenly stiffened at the soft vibration of the comm. link. She tapped the device to open the link.

It was a one-way conversation from Lois's point of view but Diana's suddenly grave expression told her everything she needed to know.

"Batman, I'm still in Metropolis. I'm on my way. ETA two minutes," Diana responded, then glanced into the apartment. "Give them my regards, please."

"Who is it this time?"

"Same group we fought three days ago, plus some new recruits."

Lois grabbed Diana's arm. "Take care of Bruce," she whispered.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Full from the pork roast Martha had implored them all to eat, Lois was busy helping the Kents clear the dishes off the table when a cold blast of air suddenly rushed into the room. She set the pile of plates stacked in her arms back onto the table, mentally kicking herself for leaving the balcony door open. As she strode past the television, a tall, undeniably masculine shadow suddenly loomed out of the darkness.

Superman stepped into his apartment looking like a changed man.

Lois felt her eyes bug out of her head as the man for whom she'd openly mourned stood in front of her. His hair, beard, and clothing gave him the appearance of a mountain man, but there was no mistaking that it was Clark.

"Clark, please tell me that I'm not dreaming," she stammered. "Is it really you?"

"So I take it that my drawing gave away my little secret," he replied with a warm smile.

Lois ran into his open arms, trying to convince herself that this wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"Lois, do I hear somebody in there?" Jonathan Kent called out from the kitchen. Before Lois had a chance to reply, Clark's farther emerged into the living room, drying a dish with a towel draped over his shoulder. He glanced up and froze. The plate dropped at his feet, shattering into pieces.

Clark withdrew from Lois's embrace at super speed, running to his father's side. Martha, Kara and Lana emerged from the kitchen speechless at the sight of him. Weeping with joy, Lois joined in on the group's embrace.

Then the questions began, fast and furious. Clark held his hand up, then pointed at the soiled uniform that he'd patched up with what appeared to be animal fur.

"Give me two seconds to get cleaned up," he said, then disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

"So, Toyman's beam was actually a time machine?" Lois asked in disbelief. "That's why Batman couldn't find a trace of you."

"I suppose," Clark replied, sipping at a cup of tea. "All I know is that when I came to, I was lying next to a couple of the cars and some rubble from the buildings Toyman had blasted forward in time. I thought I was off-planet since the sun was red, so my powers were pretty much gone by the time I came to. Odd thing was, I picked up a homing signal from the League, but there was no response. I ended up driving one of the cars in the direction of the beacon until I ran out of gas, then walked the rest of the way. Finally found Vandal Savage waiting for me at the Watchtower, which had de-orbited."

He let the implication of that news sink in, then continued. "Apparently sometime in the next few months Vandal Savage took advantage of my absence and destroyed the League. The forces he unleashed accidentally shifted Earth's orbit and the sun went supernova soon thereafter. He was the only survivor, along with some mutated species. Anyway, Vandal had thirty thousand years to reflect on his actions, and decided that he'd made a mistake. Somewhere along there, he managed to construct a time machine, so it took us a few weeks to get everything operational. That's how I got back here, to now."

Lana reached across the table and tickled his beard. "How long were you gone in your time?"

"Better part of six months, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "The days were longer, so it was hard to tell. Why, how long have I been gone here?"

"Five days," Martha stated. "We held a memorial service for you today. There's a shrine honoring you in Central Park."

"I saw it right after I came through the time portal." Clark nodded. "The League was already engaged in battle with Kalibak and the others when I arrived." He paused, then a smile creased his face. "Well, to be more accurate, the League had already taken them down. I got there just in time to stop Diana from wiping Lobo all over the pavement."

"Lobo?" Jonathan asked. "He's here?"

"Apparently, he decided to fill the void when I was gone," Clark replied. "I don't think he bothered to consider the League's reaction."

"So they already know you're back?" Lois asked with a frown. "Batman will probably put you back on Monitor Duty in an hour."

"Actually, he told me to take a week off," Clark replied, confused at the memory of his de-briefing with his League teammates. "He said something about how I needed to take care of some unfinished business, then he handed me this card…" He produced a credit card that was blank with the exception of sixteen numbers and a magnetic strip. " And told me to enjoy Pako Pako."

Clark turned to Lois next to him on the couch. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Lois nodded, leaned closer, and whispered into his ear. "It's an island he owns near Tahiti. I wanted to go there, but he was always too busy. He's must be giving us a week there for rest and relaxation."

Clark grinned from ear to ear. "Well let's figure out our cover story with the Daily Planet then pack our bags."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

The halls of the Watchtower were empty as Batman sat alone at the Monitors. He was alternately concentrating between various news television channels on the Monitors above while typing in his notes from a string of high-scale burglaries that he was convinced were the handiwork of Rupert Thorne.

"So this is what? Five graveyard shifts of Monitory duty in as many nights?" Diana asked from over his shoulder. "Things pretty quiet in Gotham these days, I take it?"

He spun quickly in his chair to face her, wondering why he hadn't heard her footfalls on the metallic flooring. She hovered six inches off the ground, staring back at him.

"I'm playing catch-up on my shifts," he replied with a grunt, then turned back to the monitors. "Can't have the rest of the League complaining that I don't pull my weight."

"I don't think you'll ever have to worry about that happening," Diana chortled. "How's the arm?"

His eyes twitched involuntarily. He'd never told anyone, but his arrival on the scene as the first responder against Kalibak and his reconstituted army, had left the Batwing in pieces. While he'd been able to eject before Livewire had blown the plane apart, the enormity of the g-forces had left his right shoulder with a third-degree separation. Diana and the rest of the League's timely arrival had allowed him to retreat from the fight. He didn't bother to inform them about his injury, as they were, in his view, already overly protective about his non-powered status.

"Just a little stiff," He glimpsed at her sideways through the slits in his cowl. "What are you doing awake?"

"I haven't slept much all week to be honest. Superman's return from the dead has me up at night thinking."

"About what?"

"Life," Diana replied with a sigh. She reached over his shoulder and switched the monitors' input. The news channels were suddenly replaced with live video feeds of random street corners throughout the world. "Look at all of those people just leading normal, happy lives. Don't you ever wish you could be down there as one of them?"

"I am down there as one of them. Or have you forgotten that?"

"No. I haven't forgotten." Diana sighed. "If Superman hadn't intercepted that blast, you and I would have suffered his fate. We might have been trapped in that future world for eternity."

"My eternity is a lot shorter than yours," he replied. "What's your point?"

"Half of Metropolis turned out for the memorial service to show they cared about Superman. Would the same be true for us?"

"How many people turn out at my funeral doesn't concern me," Batman replied. As he talked, he continued to focus on the notes he was keying into the computer displayed on the overhead monitor. "As for you, it's really pretty much up to you to decide how you want people to think of you. But let me warn you, opinions can change quickly. If you'd snapped Toyman's neck that day, the world would be reading about the militant dangers you and your Amazon sister's pose to the world. Politicians would beg the League to come up with ways to deal with the 'Themysciran Threat'. Since you didn't kill him, the media spends an average of two hours a day debating whether or not you've had breast augmentation."

"So anything that I do or say in Man's World won't matter because of my physical appearance?"

"What you do matters. The example that you set matters. You just have to be prepared to deal with some distractions along the way."

"So why do you do it, then? Why fight the never-ending battle?"

"I get a certain, perverse sense of satisfaction watching the expression of a would-be mugger soiling his pants."

"That's not enough reason to lead the life you've chosen. Shouldn't there be more than that?"

He didn't answer, which must have angered her because she flipped a switch that she obviously thought would turn off his monitors. However, the entire bank of monitors simultaneously displayed streaming video feeds from a tropical island. Bruce was silent and watched for her reaction to what he knew was forthcoming. It didn't take long. Her eyes widened when the image of Lois and Clark lying contentedly in a hammock under a tiki hut filled the screen.

It was an idyllic setting, and there was no mistaking the look of happiness on their faces. The two lovers pulled each other closer. Diana smiled faintly, then switched off the entire bank of monitors.

She cleared her throat. "You miss her, don't you?"

He was surprised at the softness of her voice. "It wasn't meant to be. You?"

"Ditto," she replied with a wry smile, then put her hands on her hip. "But that doesn't mean I've given up men entirely. As a matter of fact, the whole experience gave me some hope."

"Hope can be dangerous."

"Not for me," she replied. "Besides, a dark-horse candidate has my full attention."

"Anybody I know?"

"His name is Bruce," she replied with a devilish grin, then leaned down and brushed her lips on his cheek. "And I happen to think the world of him."

The End

Author's Note: And so ends my retconn of the DCAU, with our fearless couples more (Lois & Clark) or less (Bruce and Diana) in the same shape as they were at the end of Hereafter. I apologize for the drawn out manner of this story. Some of it was burnout on my part, some of it was fueled by the fact that rumblings of JLU being cancelled started when I was halfway through the story, sending me immediately into a funk from which I have not really recovered. On a personal note, I've found out the hard way that its easier to write a fanfic with my own take on a different plot line rather than attempting a retconn at half of the DCAU, so for those of you thinking of doing it, don't try it unless you want a year long migraine. 


End file.
